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■ 5 ttersifte Cfitratae Series 

!■!■ NUMBER 158 



MALORY& KING ARTHUR 

Books I and II 
MERLIN, AND SIR BAL1N 




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Hon. Con- 

Daughter, 

A Dream 

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The Brook, 



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Wtyt Kitoersi&e ilitcrature Series 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 
THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 

FROM MALORY'S KING ARTHUR 

WITH CAXTON'S PREFACE 

EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTORY 
SKETCH AND GLOSSARY 

BY 

CLARENCE GRIFFIN CHILD 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 




HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 

Boston : 4 Park Street ; New York : 85 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago : 378-388 Wabash Avenue 



CONTENTS 






PAGE 

Introductory Sketch . iii 

Caxton's Preface xviii 

The Book of Merlin 1 

The Book of Sir Balin 53 

Glossary 85 



LIBRaKY »f CONGRESS 
Two Cepies Received 

MAR 9 1904 

^ Copyright Entry 
c? -&Lr . 1. ") - I <\ >+- 
CLASS «- XX©, No 

Ft? ■- 1. n 
COPY 8 



Copyright, 1904, 
By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. 

All rights reserved. 



The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A. 
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Company. 




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Reduced facsimile of a page of the first edition of Sir Thomas Malory's 
Morte Darthur, printed by Caxton in 1485. 





KING ARTHUR'S ROUND TABLE 



A work of art, in Winchester Castle, of doubtful date, 1235-1425 ; 
repainted by order of Henry VIII ; names and other details are repre- 
sented only approximately in reproductions ; referred to by Caxton 
(see page xx), and by Hardyng, Leland, Paulus Jovius, de Vera, 
Ashmole, and others. 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

In the year 1476, William Caxton returned to Eng- 
land, bringing with him his type and presses, and set 
up, at the Red Pale in Westminster, the first English 
press. Born in Kent, provided with a good educa- 
tion, and apprenticed to the Mercers' Company, he 
had gone abroad, when about twenty years of age, to 
Bruges. There, in the City of the Bells, he became a 
merchant, and ultimately Governor of the English 
"Nation," or colony of merchants and traders. His 
bookish tastes led him to begin a translation of the 
"Recueil des Histories de Troye," and this, in turn, 
to an interest in the new art of printing, and to a 
study of it at Bruges and Cologne, which brought him 
back at last, after thirty years, to become the first 
English printer, and to win for himself a great name, 
not only through the craft he followed with such in- 
dustry and devotion, but also through his diligence 
and skill as a translator. 

Absorbed in his work both on its scholarly and on 
its business side, for he was a shrewd business man, 
and cheered by the friendship of princes, nobles, 
churchmen, and great merchants, he achieved labors 
little less than prodigious. In fourteen years he 
printed more than eighteen thousand pages, nearly 
all of folio size (the larger the better, as each had to be 
pulled by hand separately from the press), and nearly 
eighty separate books, some of which passed through 



iv INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

two and a few through three editions, 1 though he 
is supposed to have had not more than three assist- 
ants. Moreover, he translated some twenty-one books 
from the French and Latin, and one from the Dutch. 
He used paper, rarely vellum. His types were in the 
black-letter, — we owe our use of the clear and legible 
Eoman to the happy accident that Henry VIII dedi- 
cated a work to the Pope, thereby gaining, amusingly 
enough, the title of "Defender of the Faith," still 
borne by English sovereigns. They were copied so 
closely from the handwriting of his time that they 
have sometimes been mistaken for manuscript. He 
died in 1491. On his last day he was busy in trans- 
lating the "VitsePatruin," printed later by his assist- 
ant and successor, Wynkyn de Worde. 2 

Caxton's prefaces are always of interest, owing to 
his comments upon the works they accompany, and be- 
cause of the glimpses they give of his labors and the 
difficulties he encountered, one of which, as a notable 
passage in his preface to the "Eneydos" shows, was 
that of deciding what words or forms of words to 
prefer, where usage differed so widely in various parts 
of England, and between the speech of the learned 
and unlearned, the gentle and the simple. Much of 
Caxton's spirit and attitude may be gathered from the 
example included in this volume. It is not possible 
to linger over the works he issued, important and full 
of interest though they are, — such, for example, as 
the "Game and Pleye of the Chesse," the "Book of 

1 They have long commanded exceedingly high prices from 
collectors. The Malory has sold for £1950. 

2 See, regarding Caxton's life, the Dictionary of National 
Biography (and references there given), and Morley's English 
Writers, volume vi, for a convenient general account of the early 
history of printing and of Caxton. 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH v 

Courtesie," "Reynard the Fox," the "Eneydos," and 
the "Golden Legend." Facsimiles of the first and 
last are accessible in many libraries, and will well re- 
pay the student's examination. But two great classics 
of English literature deserve special mention histori- 
cally. One is the poems of Chaucer, for Caxton's issue 
of them in print must have done much to perpetuate 
and spread the fame and influence of the "Father of 
English Poetry." The other is Malory's "Le Morte 
Darthur," which, had Caxton not printed it, might 
not perhaps have entranced readers through long gen- 
erations down to our own day, or served as a source 
wherefrom poets and painters of the nineteenth cen- 
tury might learn of Arthur, the quest of the Grail, 
and Tristan and Iseult. Indeed, but for Caxton, these 
stories might not have become in a real sense our per- 
manent possession, for the few English versions, and 
the French, German, and Dutch versions, have for 
the most part become accessible only at a compara- 
tively recent date, and, furthermore, in such form that 
others than students might never have been brought 
to a knowledge of them. 

What is known of Malory is little enough. Cax- 
ton tells us that, being urged to print the story 
of Arthur, he used the book made by Sir Thomas 
Malory. Malory himself says, in its concluding words, 
that it was finished the ninth year of Edward IV, 
that is, between March 3, 1469, and March 4, 1470. 
Using this and other evidence, Professor George 
L. Kittredge 1 provisionally identifies the author, Sir 

1 See the Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Litera- 
ture, iv, 85-105, or the abstract by Professor Kittredge forming 
part of Professor W. E. Mead's Introduction to his Morte Dar- 
thur, Boston, 1897, pp. xiii-xix. 



vi INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

Thomas Malory, with a gentleman of ancient lineage 
and soldier of that name, who succeeded to his fa- 
ther's estates about 1433 or 1434, after serving with 
the famous Richard of Warwick, sat in Parliament 
in 1445, took part in the Wars of the Roses, and died 
in 1470. 1 

Malory's purpose was to take the various versions 
at hand in prose and verse and chiefly in French, 
of the Arthurian story, and compile from them a single 
convenient work, giving the story in its completeness. 
What was this story ? 2 The legends concerning Arthur 
go back to a period before history, but not so far that 
we may not feel reasonably sure of their possessing 
some basis in historic fact. The original Arthur seems 
to have been a war-leader or chieftain, who in the fifth 
century led his people, presumably the southern Celts 
of England, whom we know as the Welsh and the 
Cornish, against the invaders from Germany, who 
afterwards became the Anglo-Saxons. Some of his 

1 The reader will find in Professor Kittredge's article a most 
romantic incident in the career of Sir Thomas's one-time leader, 
Earl Richard, that, as Professor Kittredge says, reads as if it 
might have been taken from the Morte Darthur itself. 

2 The student should first read Miss Weston's King Arthur and 
his Knights, David Nutt, London, 1899, and, with the general 
survey of the subject gained from this most helpful outline, he 
may then turn to the works of Rhys and Nutt, Newell's King 
Arthur and the Round Table, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1897, the 
Geoffrey of Monmouth and Holy Grail in the Temple Classics, 
and Miss Weston's admirable translations. The references in 
these will lead him to the whole literature of the subject. A 
special reference must also be given to the monumental edition of 
the Morte Darthur by Dr. H. Oskar Sommer (David Nutt, Lon- 
don, 3 vols., 1889-1891) and its most valuable studies on the 
sources, with the delightful appreciation it contains of Malory 
by Mr. Lang. 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH vii 

victories told of in the legends are perhaps historical. 
At all events, when we first hear of him in the "His- 
toria Britonum" of Nennius, of the close of the eighth 
century, he is already a mythical hero. His story 
next appears in a famous work of the twelfth cen- 
tury, the "Historia Britonum" or " Historia Regum 
Brittaniae," by the gifted Welshman, Geoffrey of 
Monmouth, based partly on a Breton work, partly on 
oral tradition. Geoffrey's desire, clearly, was to prove 
that the Celtic people once possessed a world-con- 
queror, an Alexander. His history was already half 
poetry, and in the same century it was turned into 
verse by two Anglo-Norman poets, Gaimar, the first 
and really valuable part of whose work is lost, and 
Wace, in his "Brut." Wace, like Geoffrey, made 
many additions, apparently from current traditions. 
Geoffrey, for example, perhaps on the authority of 
his Breton source, first tells of Merlin, and Wace 
of the Round Table. From Wace, again with ad- 
ditions, the story passed about 1200 for the first 
time into English in the famous "Brut" of the parish 
priest Layamon ("May the Lord be gracious unto 
him ! "), and thence about the beginning of the four- 
teenth century into the Anglo-French chronicle of 
Langtoft (Englished by Robert Manning) and the 
English chronicle of Robert of Gloucester. The origi- 
nal story (in bare outline) tells of the birth of Ar- 
thur, his becoming king, the demand from over seas 
that he shall pay tribute and how, in reply, he con- 
quered Gaul and France ; of the faithlessness of Queen 
Guinevere and Mordred at home during his absence, 
and his return to conquer Mordred, losing, however, 
his dearly beloved nephew, Gawaine, who had helped 
him in his wars abroad, and in the final battle his 
own life. 



viii INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

With the addition of the Round Table and its 
knights, as seen first in Wace, the inclusion in the 
cycle of any number of separate romances or epi- 
sodes having to do with these knights became possible. 
To understand the further development of the cycle, 
it is necessary to remember that there were a great 
number of oral legends and traditions connected with 
Arthur, earlier than, and only in part included in, 
the works so far mentioned, but which, from time to 
time, became incorporated in it. It is a question still 
contested whether the development of these legends 
took place to a greater extent among the Celts of 
Brittany, whither it had been carried by the Celts of 
England, or in England. At all events, the Normans 
learned of the Arthurian story from Brittany in or 
before the first half of the eleventh century, and car- 
ried it to Sicily and southern Italy. In this way, even 
before Geoffrey wrote, it had become a common pos- 
session of Continental countries, and speedily won a 
preeminent place among romances as fitly affording a 
central theme to which courtly poets might attach 
stories of knightly adventure, whether versions of 
popular traditions or pure inventions. These stories 
of the Knights of the Round Table are well-nigh in- 
numerable. By far the larger part have to do with 
Gawaine, who may originally have been the hero of 
an independent cycle. A second important character 
is Lancelot. The story of the loves of Lancelot and 
Guinevere developed into a long romance, and became 
the central theme of Malory, and through him of the 
Arthurian story proper in modern literature. 

It must next be noted that the story of Arthur, be- 
cause of its fame and importance, drew into itself two 
other famous stories, originally quite independent of 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH ix 

it. One is the story of Tristan and Iseult, which turns 
upon their drinking a love-potion unknowingly, as 
Tristan was taking Iseult to wed King Mark. A 
hopeless passion follows, and Tristan is finally ban- 
ished to Brittany, where he weds a second Iseult, Iseult 
of the White Hands. On his deathbed he sends for 
the first Iseult. The messenger is bidden spread white 
sails if successful, black if he has failed. Tristan's 
wife tells him from the window that the sails are black, 
and he dies with his longing unfulfilled. The story 
appears in an inferior version in Malory, and was 
thence taken by Matthew Arnold, Mr. Swinburne, 
and Mr. Binyon. 

The second story, which became merged into the 
Arthurian cycle, was the beautiful and moving legend 
of the Seeking of the Grail, the sacred vessel used by 
the Saviour in the Last Supper. 1 It was in the pos- 
session of Joseph of Arimathea, the "rich man " of the 
Bible, and comforted him during forty years' impris- 
onment, till freed by Vespasian. His sons take it on 
their wanderings into far lands to carry the Gospel, 
and then, in consequence of sin, it is held by the "Rich 
Fisher," sore stricken but unable to die, in an en- 
chanted castle, until his son's son shall seek it out 

1 The Grail, Greal, or Sangreal ( " holy greal ") is properly 
the dish or platter, which, after it was used in the Last Supper, 
was also used by Joseph of Arimathea to receive the blood which 
flowed from the wounds of the Saviour. In the romances, pro- 
perties connected with notable vessels of Celtic folklore and 
legend, such as the Cauldron of the Head of Hades, seem to 
have become associated with it (see Nutt, Studies on the Legend 
of the Holy Grail ; Rhys, The Arthurian Legend}. In Wolfram 
von Eschenbach's Parzifal it is a jewel or precious stone. By 
many, but quite erroneously, it is supposed to be the chalice 
used in the Last Supper. 



x INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

and become its keeper. Percival, reared in solitude, 
comes to Arthur's court, and sets forth to find the 
Grail. Though delayed by things of this world, he 
remains pure, and at last achieves the quest, and the 
enchantments of Britain are ended. Percival (or Par- 
sifal as in German) is the true knight of the Grail, and 
it is to be regretted that Galahad, owing to later ver- 
sions, is made the achiever of the quest in Malory, and 
hence in English tradition, which is thus severed from 
the original tradition and the prevailing tradition of 
French and German literature. It is hardly necessary 
to refer the reader to Tennyson's " Quest of the Grail," 
Wagner's opera "Parsifal," and the mural paintings 
of Mr. Abbey in the Boston Public Library. 

These stories were treated in long romances by 
courtly poets in France and Germany, of whom the 
more notable were Chrestien de Troyes and Wolfram 
von Eschenbach. An important point is the weaving 
together finally of different parts of the cycle, with 
insertion of many episodes but loosely attached to the 
main theme, into extended versions in prose, dating 
substantially from the first half of the thirteenth cen- 
tury. It was from these that Malory chiefly drew. 
Dr. Sommer in his standard edition has essayed the 
difficult, laborious, and uncertain task of examining 
Malory's sources. The subject is too complex to be 
entered into here, but his work may enable us to see 
what portions of Malory belong to the five main 
branches of the cycle : — 

I. Merlin, or the early history of King Arthur. Books i-iv are 
from some version of the French prose " Merlin." Book v is from 
the English poem by the Northern poet, Huchown, " La Morte 
Artlmre." 

II. Lancelot, dealing with the later history and the death of 
King Arthur. Books vi, xi, xii, chapters 1-10, xiii-xvii, xix are 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH xi 

from some version of the French prose " Lancelot." Books xviii, 
xx, xxi are from an English poem, " Le Morte Arthur," or some 
common original. 

III. The Quest of the Grail. Books xiii-xvii. The story is 
merged in the " Lancelot " as above. 

IV. Tristan, treating of the story of Tristan and Iseult. Books 
viii, ix, x (except chapters 31-50), xii, chapters 11-14, are from 
some version of the French prose " Tristan." 

V. The Prophecies of Merlin, having to do with Merlin's 
prophecies and including various adventures. Chapters 31-50 of 
Book x, telling of the adventures of Alisaunder le Orphelyn and 
the great tournament of Galahad of Surluse, are paralleled in 
two manuscripts of the " Prophecies of Merlin," in the British 
Museum. 

The contents of part of Book vi, of Book vii, and parts of 
Books xii and xix cannot be found in existing versions. Sommer 
believes that the part of Book vii referred to was drawn from a 
lost romance of Gareth, and the other passages, with certain addi- 
tional evidence, point, in his opinion, to the use by Malory of a 
lost version of the " Lancelot." 

The laboriousness and difficulty of Malory's task 
cannot be judged simply from the fact that his work 
runs to eight hundred and twenty-six large octavo 
pages in Sommer' s edition. It must be considered also 
that his originals were themselves enormous compila- 
tions and filled with interpolated episodes. With this 
in mind, it is unjust to judge him severely for not 
having given a more careful order and unity to his 
story, for admitting episodes that clog his main narra- 
tive, for leaving out effective details or incidents, or, 
in one case at least, for preferring of two versions be- 
fore him one of less force and beauty. Such errors of 
omission or commission are in large part due doubtless 
to his originals, and in any case we are criticising him 
from a modern point of view. To any one even slightly 
familiar with versions similar to those Malory used, it 
will certainly seem that he made his compilation with 



xii INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

remarkable success. The reader not familiar with the 
mediaeval versions will perhaps find but one chief cause 
for criticism, and that is the introduction of inciden- 
tal episodes. Malory can hardly be blamed for this, 
considering that his originals were full of them, and 
that they are often of the greatest interest in them- 
selves. Was he not, moreover, probably making his 
book chiefly for his own delight and convenience? 
And the modern reader, furthermore, will come to 
love this fault, if fault it be, as an essential element 
of the book's mediaeval character. 

On the other hand, how great are Malory's virtues, 
how large the debt we owe him ! One primal virtue is 
the beauty of his style. When we remember at what 
time he lived, and that English prose was in its infancy, 
it seems little less than extraordinary that his sentences 
are so seldom involved and obscure grammatically, and 
further, considering that he was translating, that the 
words and constructions he uses are so free from for- 
eign borrowings and idioms. His words are in large 
part pure Saxon, and, what is more, the number of 
words he uses that have become obsolete is surpris- 
ingly small. He is thought, indeed, like Caxton in 
his translations, to have had some influence upon the 
development of the language and of prose form. His 
style has, however, higher qualities than clearness, sim- 
plicity, and directness. These higher qualities are 
bound up with a second virtue, namely that, looking 
apart from his book as a whole, and conceding that 
it was impossible that he should stick too closely and 
prudishly to a main line of narrative, he shows the 
art of a born story-teller in the lesser episodes and 
incidents that make up his work, — a praise belonging 
no doubt in part to the originals he drew from. He 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH xm 

has the gift of giving only what is essential in a story, 
the little touches, in addition to the necessary record 
of events, hardly noted in themselves, that place the 
story, the occurrence, the persons that take part, in- 
stantly and vividly before the imagination, if that be 
truly awake and in sympathy. This may afford a 
suggestion for the reader. He must not expect to 
have the vitalizing elements of the narrative forced 
upon him and emphasized after the modern manner, 
so that he cannot miss them, however dense or indif- 
ferent he may be. He must pause to let each simple, 
picture-making phrase deliver its full message. When 
we read, for example, how Arthur went to fetch the 
sword fixed fast by its point in the anvil, and "handled 
the sword by the handles, and lightly and fiercely 
pulled it out of the stone," we must pause upon the 
words "lightly and fiercely" to see the gallant young 
figure in the flowering of its strength, as well as to 
muse upon that miraculous attestation of Arthur's 
kingly mission. For those who love Malory truly, 
the close union of his clear perception of the essential 
detail of the story he is telling and his gift for its ex- 
pression affords one of the chief delights in reading 
him. "He is," says a most acute and discriminating 
English critic, never led astray by his personal enthu- 
siasms, Mr. W. P. Ker, "an author and an artist, and 
his style is his own." 

Together with the intrinsic merit of Malory's work 
and its inherent right to be considered a great Eng- 
lish classic must be noted the debt we owe it for hav- 
ing perpetuated the Arthurian story in an accessible 
and complete form through the centuries, and for hav- 
ing provided a source for poems and paintings of our 
own time, in themselves a precious and an enduring 



xiv INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

possession. That it was read with eagerness in the 
sixteenth century we know from Roger Ascham. 
Chroniclers and dramatists drew from it, and Spen- 
ser used it. Professor Mead is inclined to think it 
could not have been read to any great extent in the 
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, for the reason, 
as he says, that one edition, that of 1634, seems to 
have sufficed till the nineteenth century. He has over- 
looked, however, the testimony of William Nicholson 
in 1696, who speaks of it as "A book that is, in our 
days, often sold by the ballad-mongers with the like 
authentick records of Guy of Warwick and Bevis of 
Southampton." But even granting that it was read, 
perhaps, by few but antiquarians in the eighteenth 
century, it certainly came to its own after the romantic 
movement and the better understanding of mediaeval 
literature it led to, which culminated at the beginning 
of the nineteenth century. To Southey's edition and 
to Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" is due the fact 
that the story of Arthur is again well known to the 
general reading public. All but three of the "Idylls " 
are based upon Malory, 1 with many changes and ad- 
ditions, and with entire adaptation, ethically and psy- 

1 The parts of Malory used by Tennyson are as follows : " The 
Coming of Arthur," Books i, iii ; " Gareth and Lynette," Book 
vii ; " Balin and Balan," Book ii ; " Lancelot and Elaine," Book 
xviii, chapters 8-20 ; " The Holy Grail," Books xiii-xvii ; " Pel- 
leas and Etarre," Book iv, chapters 19-29, Book xix^ chapter 11 ; 
" The Last Tournament," Books viii-x, xii, chapters 11-14, Book 
xx, chapter vi ; " Guinevere," Book xxi, chapter 9 (with substi- 
tution of Arthur for Lancelot and other changes) ; " The Passing 
of Arthur," Book xxi. The subjects of " The Marriage of Ge- 
raint " and " Geraint and Enid " (formerly one idyll, " Enid "), 
and of " Merlin and Vivien," were drawn from Lady Guest's 
Mabinogion. 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH xv 

chologically, to modern conditions. Tennyson some- 
times follows Malory closely, even verbally, sometimes 
abandons him wholly. It must be granted that those 
who know the earlier versions cannot repress a certain 
impatience at times as regards Tennyson's alteration 
of the stories and his modernization of their intention, 
the symbolic, or, to use his own term, "parabolic," 
significance he gave them, — a feeling which cannot ap- 
ply, of course, to their noble poetry, — however freely 
his right may be conceded to change them, as they 
were freely changed by the successive mediaeval poets 
who used them. It would be profanation to liken the 
"Idylls," with Carlyle, to "superlative lollipops," but 
one sympathizes with Frederic Harrison, who, speak- 
ing of Malory's Arthur, says: "Beside this simple, 
manly type of the mediaeval hero, the figures in the 
4 Idylls of the King ' look like the dainty Perseus 
of Canova placed beside the heroic Theseus of Phei- 
dias." But this feeling of impatience is undoubt- 
edly both ungrateful and unreasonable. Tennyson's 
"Idylls" stand for what they are in themselves. 

In Matthew Arnold's " Tristram and Iseult " and 
Mr. Swinburne's "Tristram of Lyonesse " there is 
similar, though less, freedom of alteration. The reader 
may well be urged, if he has not done so, to compare 
these two poems and Mr. Laurence Binyon's "Tris- 
tram and Isoult," to learn how differently poets of 
diverse temperament and inspiration can treat an an- 
cient romantic theme, as well as to argue the expedi- 
ency of the use of such themes by modern poets, and 
to consider the question of the extent of liberty per- 
missible in respect to their modification and adaptation. 

Mr. Swinburne's "Tale of Balen," also, is based 
on Malory, and should be read in connection with 



xvi INTRODUCTORY SKETCH 

the second book in this volume in illustration how 
readily the "Morte Darthur," essentially in the broad 
sense poetry, lends itself to the definite, accepted me- 
dium of poetry, verse. 

William Morris used Malory in "The Defence of 
Guinevere," " King Arthur's Tomb," "Sir Galahad," 
and "The Chapel in Lyonesse." To this list may 
be added Blackmore's epic of "King Arthur " of the 
seventeenth century, and, of the nineteenth century, 
Heber's "Morte Arthur," Hawker's "Quest of the 
Sangreal," the plays of "King Arthur" by Bulwer 
and by Mr. Carr, and the Arthurian dramas, "The 
Quest of Merlin," "The Marriage of Guenevere," 
"The Birth of Galahad," and "Taliesin," of the 
American poet, Richard Hovey, with the shorter poems 
of Tennyson, " The Lady of Shalott, " " Sir Galahad," 
and "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenevere." The 
greater number of these and various scattered poems 
by obscure authors, as well as Lowell's "Vision of 
Sir Launfal," draw little or nothing from Malory, 
or are inventions conformed to the modern conception, 
derived chiefly from Tennyson, of the Arthur story 
and of the age of romance. 

The two books of the " Morte Darthur "which follow 
include the beginning of the story of Arthur and the 
beautiful tale of Balin and Balan. It was thought 
better to give a somewhat extended portion of Mal- 
ory rather than a series of fragments culled here and 
there, and the first two books were preferably selected 
that the reader might have the opening of the story. 
The spelling and form of words is necessarily modern- 
ized, as Caxton's orthography offers a real obstacle to 
the average reader. In no case, however, is there sub- 
stitution of one word for another, as the glossary jDro- 



INTRODUCTORY SKETCH xvii 

vides all needed help in the case of the few obsolete 
terms. Modern taste has demanded the alteration of 
one or two passages, but of only one of more than a 
few lines. The text is based on Sommer's edition (see 
page iv, note 2) of Caxton's print of 1485. 

With this introduction, necessarily limited to dry 
historic fact though there is so much besides which it 
stirs the heart to think of, this noble English classic 
is commended to the reader. Sir Edward Creasy 
has said of it that "hardly any book in our language 
deserves the epithet of dull so little," and Sir Walter 
Scott pronounced it "indisputably the best prose 
romance the language can boast." But it lives best in 
the memory in Caxton's phrase, as "this noble and 
joyous book" that he set in print "to the intent 
that noble men may see and learn the noble acts of 
chivalry, the gentle and virtuous deeds that some 
knights used in those days, by which they came to 
honor, and how they that were vicious were punished 
and oft put to shame and rebuke ; humbly beseeching 
all noble lords and ladies with all other estates of what 
estate or degree they be of, that shall see and read 
in this said book and work, that they take the good 
and honest acts in their remembrance, and to follow 
the same, wherein they shall find many joyous and 
pleasant histories, and noble and renowned acts of 
humanity, gentleness, and chivalry. For herein may 
be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, humanity, friendli- 
ness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, murder, 
hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the good, and leave 
the evil, and it shall bring you to good fame and 



CAXTON'S PREFACE 

After that I had accomplished and finished divers 
histories, as well of contemplation as of other historial 
and worldly acts of great conquerors and princes, and 
also certain books of ensamples and doctrine, many- 
noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England, 
came and demanded me, many and of ttimes, wherefore 
that I have not done made and enprinted the noble 
history of the Saint Greal, and of the most renowned 
Christian king, first and chief of the three best Chris- 
tian and worthy, King Arthur, which ought most to be 
remembered among us Englishmen, tofore all other 
Christian kings ; for it is notoriously known, through 
the universal world, that there be nine worthy and the 
best that ever were, that is, to wit, three Paynims, three 
Jews, and three Christian men. As for the Paynims, 
they were before the Incarnation of Christ, which were 
named, the first, Hector of Troy, of whom the history 
is common, both in ballad and in prose ; the second, 
Alexander the Great; and the third, Julius Caesar, 
Emperor of Rome, of whom the histories be well 
known and had. And as for the three Jews, which also 
were before the Incarnation of our Lord, of whom the 
first was Duke Joshua, which brought the children of 
Israel into the land of behest; the second David, King 
of Jerusalem ; and the third Judas Maccabeus. Of 
these three, the Bible rehearseth all their noble his- 
tories and acts. And, since the said Incarnation, have 
been three noble Christian men stalled and admitted 



C AX TON'S PREFACE xix 

through the universal world into the number of the 
nine best and worthy. Of whom was first, the noble 
Arthur, whose noble acts I purpose to write in this 
present book here following; the second was Charle- 
magne, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is 
had in many places, both in French and English ; and 
the third and last was Godfrey of Boulogne, of whose 
acts and life I made a book unto the excellent prince 
and king, of noble memory, King Edward the Fourth. 
The said noble gentlemen instantly required me 
to imprint the history of the said noble king and 
conqueror, King Arthur, and of his knights, with the 
history of the Saint Greal and of the death and end- 
ing of the said Arthur, affirming that I ought rather 
to imprint his acts and noble feats, than of Godfrey 
of Boulogne, or any of the other eight, considering 
that he was a man born within this realm, and king 
and emperor of the same ; and that there be in French 
divers and many noble volumes of his acts, and also 
of his knights. To whom I answered, that divers 
men hold opinion that there was no such Arthur, and 
that all such books as be made of him be but feigned 
and fables, because that some chronicles make of him 
no mention, nor remember him nothing, nor of his 
knights. Whereto they answered, and one in especial 
said, that in him that should say or think that there 
was never such a king called Arthur, might well be 
aretted great folly and blindness; for he said that 
there were many evidences to the contrary. First, ye 
may see his sepulchre in the monastery of Glaston- 
bury; and also in " Polychrpnicon " 2 in the fifth book, 
the sixth chapter, and in the seventh book, the twenty - 

1 A universal history by Higden, translated by John of Tre- 
visa ; the translation was printed by Caxton, 



xx CAXTON'S PREFACE 

third chapter, where his body was buried, and after 
found, and translated into the said monastery. Ye 
shall see also in the history of Bochas, 1 in his book 
"De Casu Principum," part of his noble acts, and also 
of his fall. Also Galfridus, in his British book, re- 
counteth his life. And in divers places of England, 
many remembrances be yet of him, and shall remain 
perpetually, and also of his knights : — First, in the 
Abbey of Westminster, at Saint Edward's shrine, 
remaineth the print of his seal in red wax closed in 
beryl, in which is written: "Patricius Arthurus Bri- 
tanniae, Gallise, Germanise, Daciae Imperator." Item, 
in the castle of Dover, ye may see Gawaine's skull, 
and Cradok's mantle; at Winchester, the Round 
Table; in other places, Launcelot's sword, and many 
other things. Then all these things considered, there 
can no man reasonably gainsay but there was a king 
of this land named Arthur; for in all places, Chris- 
tian and heathen, he is reputed and taken for one 
of the nine worthy, and the first of the three Chris- 
tian men. And also he is more spoken of beyond the 
sea, and more books made of his noble acts, than 
there be in England, as well in Dutch, Italian, Span- 
ish, and Greek, as in French. And yet of record, 
remain in witness of him in Wales, in the town of 
Camelot, 2 the great stones, and the marvellous works 
of iron lying under the ground, and royal vaults, which 

1 Giovanni Boccaccio ; the work referred to is usually known 
as De Casibus Virorum. 

2 Camelot, the city of Arthur (see Sommer, vol. ii. p. 157 note), 
is not in Wales, as Caxton says, and is not Winchester, as Malory 
says (Book ii, chapter 19), but is to be identified with Camel in 
Somerset, where its remains are still to be seen. The identifica- 
tion of places in Arthurian romance is uncertain, and important 
only in scholarly investigations. 



CAXTON'S PREFACE xxi 

divers now living have seen. Wherefore it is a great 
marvel why he is no more renowned in his own coun- 
try, save only it accordeth to the word of God, which 
saith, that no man is accepted for a prophet in his own 
country. Then all these things aforesaid alleged, I 
could not well deny but that there was such a noble 
king named Arthur, and reputed for one of the nine 
worthy, and first and chief of the Christian men. 
And riiany noble volumes be made of him and of 
his noble knights in French, which I have seen and 
read beyond the sea, which be not had in our maternal 
tongue. But in Welsh be many, and also in French, 
and some in English, but nowhere nigh all. Where- 
fore, such as have late been drawn out briefly into 
English, I have, after the simple cunning that God 
hath sent to me, under the favour and correction of all 
noble lords and gentlemen enprised to imprint a book 
of the noble histories of the said King Arthur, and 
of certain of his knights after a copy unto me deliv- 
ered ; which copy Sir Thomas Malory did take out of 
certain books of French, and reduced it into English. 
And I, according to my copy, have done set it in 
print, to the intent that noble men may see and learn 
the noble acts of chivalry, the gentle and virtuous 
deeds, that some knights used in those days, by which 
they came to honour, and how they that were vicious 
were punished and oft put to shame and rebuke; 
humbly beseeching all noble lords and ladies, with 
all other estates of what estate or degree they be of, 
that shall see and read in this said book and work, 
that they take the good and honest acts in their re- 
membrance, and to follow the same, wherein they shall 
find many joyous and pleasant histories, and noble 
and renowned acts of humanity, gentleness, and chiv- 



xxii CAXTON'S PREFACE 

airy. For herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, 
humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, 
cowardice, murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do after 
the good, and leave the evil, and it shall bring you to 
good fame and renown. And, for to pass the time, 
this book shall be pleasant to read in, but for to give 
faith and belief that all is true that is contained herein, 
ye be at your liberty. But all is written for our doc- 
trine, and for to beware that we fall not to vice nor 
sin, but to exercise and follow virtue, by which we 
may come and attain to good fame and renown in this 
life, and after this short and transitory life to come 
unto everlasting bliss in heaven; the which He grant 
us that reigneth in heaven, the blessed Trinity. 
Amen. 

Then to proceed forth in this said book, which I 
direct unto all noble princes, lords and ladies, gentle- 
men or gentlewomen, that desire to read or hear read 
of the noble and joyous history of the great conqueror 
and excellent king, King Arthur, sometime king of 
this noble realm then called Britain, I, William Cax- 
ton, simple person, present this book following, which 
I have enprised to imprint; and treateth of the noble 
acts, feats of arms of chivalry, prowess, hardiness, 
humanity, love, courtesy, and very gentleness, with 
many wonderful histories and adventures. And for 
to understand briefly the content of this volume, I 
have divided it into twenty-one books, and every book 
chaptered, as hereafter shall by God's grace follow. 
The first book shall treat how Uther Pendragon got 
the noble conqueror, King Arthur, and containeth 
twenty- eight chapters. The second book treateth of 
Balin, the noble knight, and containeth nineteen chap- 
ters. The third book treateth of the marriage of 



CAXTON'S PREFACE xxiu 

King Arthur to Queen Guenevere, with other matters, 
and containeth fifteen chapters. The fourth book, 
how Merlin was assotted, and of war made to King 
Arthur, and containeth twenty-nine chapters. The 
fifth book treateth of the conquest of Lucius the 
emperor, and containeth twelve chapters. The sixth 
book treateth of Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel, and 
marvellous adventures, and containeth eighteen chap- 
ters. ' The seventh book treateth of a noble knight 
called Sir Gareth, and named by Sir Kay Beaumains, 
and containeth thirty-six chapters. The eighth book 
treateth of the birth of Sir Tristram, the noble knight, 
and of his acts, and containeth forty-one chapters. 
The ninth book treateth of a knight named by Sir 
Kay Le Cote Male Taille, and also of Sir Tristram, 
and containeth forty-four chapters. The tenth book 
treateth of Sir Tristram, and other marvellous ad- 
ventures, and containeth eighty-eight chapters. The 
eleventh book treateth of Sir Launcelot and Sir Gala- 
had, and containeth fourteen chapters. The twelfth 
book treateth of Sir Launcelot and his madness, and 
containeth fourteen chapters. The thirteenth book 
treateth how Galahad came first to King Arthur's 
court, and the quest how the Saint Greal was begun, 
and containeth twenty chapters. The fourteenth book 
treateth of the quest of the Saint Greal, and contain- 
eth ten chapters. The fifteenth book treateth of Sir 
Launcelot, and containeth six chapters. The six- 
teenth book treateth of Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, 
his brother, and containeth seventeen chapters. The 
seventeenth book treateth of the Saint Greal, and con- 
taineth twenty-three chapters. The eighteenth book 
treateth of Sir Launcelot and the queen, and contain- 
eth twenty-five chapters. The nineteenth book treat- 



XXIV 



CAXTON'S PREFACE 



eth of Queen Guenevere and Launcelot, and contain- 
eth thirteen chapters. The twentieth book treateth of 
the piteous death of Arthur, and containeth twenty-two 
chapters. The twenty-first book treateth of his last 
departing, and how Sir Launcelot came to revenge his 
death, and containeth thirteen chapters. The sum is 
twenty-one books, which contain the sum of five hun- 
dred and seven chapters, as more plainly shall follow 
hereafter. 



KING ARTHUR 

BOOK I 
THE BOOK OF MERLIN 

I. It befell in the days of Uther Pendragon, when 
he was King of England, and so reigned, that there 
was a mighty duke in Cornwall, that held war against 
him long time, and the duke was called the Duke of 
Tintagil. And so, by means, King Uther sent for this 
duke, charging him to bring his wife with him, for 
she was called a fair lady, and a passing wise, and 
her name was called Igraine. 

So when the duke and his wife were come to the 
king, by the means of great lords they were accorded 
both. The king liked and loved this lady well, and 
he made them great cheer out of measure. Then, for 
that Uther loved her, Igraine spake to the duke, her 
husband, and said, "Husband, I counsel you that 
we depart from hence suddenly, that we may ride all 
night unto our own castle." And in like wise as she 
said, so they departed, that neither the king, nor 
none of his council, were ware of their departing. 

As soon as King Uther knew of their departing 
so suddenly, he was wonderly wroth. Then he called 
to him his privy council, and told them of the sudden 
departing of the duke and his wife. Then they ad- 
vised the king to send for the duke and his wife by 
a great charge, "And, if he will not come at your 
summons, then may ye do your best ; then have ye 



2 KING ARTHUR 

cause to make mighty war upon him." So that was 
done, and the messengers had their answers, and that 
was this, shortly, "That neither he nor his wife would 
not come at him." Then was the king wonderly 
wroth. And then the king sent him plain word again, 
and bade him be ready, and stuff him and garnish 
him, "for within forty days he would fetch him out of 
the biggest castle that he hath." When the duke had 
this warning, anon he went and furnished and gar- 
nished two strong castles of his, of the which the one 
hight Tintagil, and the other castle hight Terabil. So 
his wife, dame Igraine, he put in the castle of Tinta- 
gil, and he put himself in the castle of Terabil, the 
which had many issues and posterns out. Then in all 
haste came Uther, with a great host, and laid a siege 
about the castle of Terabil, and there he pitched many 
pavilions. And there was great war made on both 
parties, and much people slain. 

Then for pure anger and for great love of fair 
Igraine, King Uther fell sick. So came to King 
Uther Sir Ulfius, a noble knight, and asked the king, 
why he was sick. "I shall tell thee," said the king; 
"I am sick for anger and for love of fair Igraine, 
that I may not be whole." "Well, my lord," said 
Sir Ulfius, "I shall seek Merlin, and he shall do you 
remedy, that your heart shall be pleased." So Ulfius 
departed, and by adventure he met Merlin in a beg- 
gar's array; and there Merlin asked Ulfius whom he 
sought. And he said he had little ado to tell him. 
"Well," said Merlin, "I know whom thou seekest, 
for thou seekest Merlin; therefore seek no further, 
for I am he. And if King Uther will well reward 
me, and be sworn unto me to fulfil my desire, that 
shall be his honour and profit more than mine, for I 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 3 

shall cause him to have all his desire." "All this 
will I undertake," said Ulfius, "that there shall be 
nothing reasonable, but thou shalt have thy desire." 
"Well," said Merlin, "he shall have his intent and 
desire; and, therefore," said Merlin, "ride on your 
way, for I will not be long behind." 

II. Then Ulfius was glad, and rode on more than a 
pace till that he came to King Uther Pendragon, and 
told him he had met with Merlin. "Where is he?" 
said the king. "Sir," said Ulfius, "he will not dwell 
long." Therewithal Ulfius was ware where Merlin 
stood at the porch of the pavilion's door; and then 
Merlin was bound to come to the king. When King 
Uther saw him, he said that he was welcome. "Sir," 
said Merlin, "I know all your heart, every deal; so 
you will be sworn to me, as you be a true king anointed, 
to fulfil my desire, you shall have your desire." Then 
the king was sworn upon the four Evangelists. " Sir," 
said Merlin, "this is my desire; by Igraine you shall 
have a child, and when it is born that it shall be de- 
livered to me for to nourish there, as I will have it; 
for it shall be your worship, and the child's avail as 
mickle as the child is worth." "I will well," said 
the king, "as thou wilt have it." 

Now the Duke of Tintagil espied how the king rode 
from the siege of Terabil; and, therefore, that night 
he issued out of the castle at a postern for to have 
distressed the king's host; and so through his own 
issue the duke himself was slain, or ever the king was 
at the castle of Tintagil. So after the death of the 
duke, King Uther carrie unto Igraine more than three 
hours after his death. Then all the barons, by one 
assent, prayed the king of accord between the lady 
Igraine and him. The king gave them leave, for fain 



4 KING ARTHUR 

would he have been accorded with her. So the kins: 
put all his trust in Ulfius to entreat between them ; so 
by the entreaty, at the last, the king and she met to- 
gether. "Now will we do well,' 1 said Ulfius; "our 
king is a lusty knight, and wifeless, and my lady 
Igraine is a passing fair lady; it were great joy unto 
us all, and it might please the king to make her his 
queen." Unto that they were all well agreed, and 
moved it to the king. And anon, like a lusty knight, 
he assented thereto with good will; and so, in all 
haste, they were married in a morning with great 
mirth and joy. And King Lot of Lothian and of 
Orkney then wedded Margawse, that was Gawaine's 
mother; and King Nentres, of the land of Garlot, 
wedded Elaine. All this was done at the request of 
King Uther. And the third sister, Morgan le Fa} 7 , 
was put to school in a nunnery ; and there she learned 
so much, that she was a great clerk of necromancy; 
and, after, she was wedded to King Uriens, of the land 
of Gore, that was Sir Ewaine le Blanchemaine's father. 
III. Then Queen Igraine drew daily nearer the time 
when the child Arthur should be born. So soon came 
Merlin unto the king, and said, "Sir, you must pur- 
vey you for the nourishing of your child." "As thou 
wilt," said the king, "be it." "Well," said Merlin, 
"I know a lord of yours, in this land, that is a pass- 
ing true man and faithful, and he shall have the 
nourishing of your child, and his name is Sir Ector, 
and he is a lord of fair livelihood in many parts in 
England and Wales. And this lord, Sir Ector, let 
him be sent for, for to come and speak with you, and 
desire him yourself, as he loveth you, that he will put 
his own child to nourishing to another woman, and 
that his wife nourish yours. And when the child is 






THE BOOK OF MERLIN 5 

born, let it be delivered unto me, at yonder privy 
postern, unchristened." So like as Merlin [had] de- 
vised, it was done. And when Sir Ector was come, 
he made affiance to the king for to nourish the child, 
like as the king desired ; and there the king granted 
Sir Ector great rewards. Then when the child was 
born, the king commanded two knights and two ladies 
to take the child, bound in a cloth of gold, "And that 
ye deliver him to what poor man ye meet at the postern 
gate of the castle." So the child was delivered unto 
Merlin, and so he bare it forth unto Sir Ector, and 
made an holy man to christen him, and named him 
Arthur; and so Sir Ector's wife nourished him. 

[IV.] Then within two years King Uther fell sick 
of a great malady ; and in the meanwhile his enemies 
usurped upon him, and did a great battle upon his 
men, and slew many of his people. "Sir," said Mer- 
lin, "ye may not lie so as ye do, for ye must to the 
field, though ye ride on an horse-litter; for ye shall 
never have the better of your enemies but if your per- 
son be there, and then shall ye have the victory." So 
it was done as Merlin had devised, and they carried 
the king forth in an horse-litter, with a great host, 
towards his enemies. And at Saint Albans there met 
with the king a great host of the North ; and that day 
Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias did great deeds of arms, 
and King Uther' s men overcame the northern battle, 
and slew many people, and put the remnant to flight. 
And then the king returned to London, and made great 
joy of his victory. 

And then he fell passing sore sick, so that three 
days and three nights he was speechless ; wherefore all 
the barons made great sorrow, and asked Merlin what 
counsel were best. "There is not none other remedy," 



6 KING ARTHUR 

said Merlin, "but God will have his will; but look ye 
all barons be before King Uther to-inorn, and God and 
I shall make him to speak." So on the morn all the 
barons, with Merlin, came tofore the king; then Mer- 
lin said aloud unto King Uther, " Sir, shall your son 
Arthur be king after your days of this realm, with all 
the appurtenance?" Then Uther Pen dragon turned 
him and said, in hearing of them all, "I give him 
God's blessing and mine, and bid him pray for my 
soul, and righteously and worshipfully that he claim 
the crown upon forfeiture of my blessing." And 
therewith he yielded up the ghost. And then was he 
interred as belonged unto a king: wherefore the queen, 
fair Igraine, made great sorrow, and all the barons. 
[V.] Then stood the realm in great jeopardy long 
while, for every lord that was mighty of men made 
him strong, and many weened to have been king. 
Then Merlin went to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
and counselled him for to send for all the lords of the 
realm, and all the gentlemen of arms, that they should 
to London come by Christmas, upon pain of cursing; 
and for this cause, that Jesus, that was born on that 
night, that He would of His great mercy show some 
miracle as He was come to be king of mankind, for 
to show some miracle who should be rightwise king 
of this realm. So the archbishop, by the advice of 
Merlin, sent for all the lords and gentlemen of arms, 
that they should come by Christmas Even unto Lon- 
don, and many of them made them clean of their life, 
that their prayer might be the more acceptable unto 
God. So in the greatest church of London (whether 
it were Paul's or not the French book maketh no men- 
tion), all the estates were, long ere day, in the church 
for to pray. 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 7 

And when matins and the first mass was done, there 
was seen in the churchyard, against the high altar, 
a great stone, four-square, like unto a marble stone, 
and in [the] midst thereof was like an anvil of steel, 
a foot on high, and therein stuck a fair sword, naked 
by the point, and letters there were written in gold 
about the sword that said thus, " Whoso pulleth out 
this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king 
born of all England." Then the people marvelled 
and told it to the archbishop. "I command," said the 
archbishop, "that ye keep you within your church, 
and pray unto God still that no man touch the sword 
till the high mass be all done." So when all masses 
were done, all the lords went to behold the stone and 
the sword. And when they saw the scripture, some 
assayed, such as would have been king ; but none 
might stir the sword, nor move it. "He is not here," 
said the archbishop, "that shall achieve the sword, 
but doubt not God will make him known. But this 
is my counsel," said the archbishop, "that we let pur- 
vey ten knights, men of good fame, and they to keep 
this sword." So it was ordained, and then there was 
made a cry, that every man should assay that would 
for to win the sword. 

And, upon New Year's Day, the barons let make a 
joust and a tournament, that all knights that would 
joust or tourney there might play; and all this was 
ordained for to keep the lords together, and the com- 
mons, for the archbishop trusted that God would make 
him known that should win the sword. So, upon New 
Year's Day, when the service was done, the barons 
rode unto the field, some to joust, and some to tourney. 
And so it happed that Sir Ector, that had great live- 
lihood about London, rode unto the jousts, and with 



8 KING ARTHUR 

him rode Sir Kaye, his son, and young Arthur, that 
was his nourished brother; and Sir Kaye was made 
knight at Allhallowmas afore. So as they rode to- 
wards the jousts, Sir Kaye [had] lost his sword, for he 
had left it at his father's lodging, and so he prayed 
young Arthur to ride for his sword. "I will well," 
said Arthur, and rode fast after the sword. And 
when he came home, the lady and all were out to see 
the jousting. Then was Arthur wroth, and said to 
himself, "I will ride to the churchyard and take the 
sword with me that sticketh in the stone, for my 
brother, Sir Kaye, shall not be without a sword this 
day." And so, when he came to the churchyard, Sir 
Arthur alighted, and tied his horse to the stile, and 
so he went to the tent, and found no knights there, 
for they were at the jousting. And so he handled 
the sword by the handles, and lightly and fiercely 
pulled it out of the stone, and took his horse, and rode 
his way until he came to his brother, Sir Kaye, and 
delivered him the sword. 

And, as soon as Sir Kaye saw the sword, he wist 
well that it was the sword of the stone; and so he rode 
to his father, Sir Ector, and said, " Sir, lo ! here is 
the sword of the stone; wherefore I must be king of 
this land." When Sir Ector beheld the sword, he 
returned again, and came to the church, and there they 
alighted all three, and went into the church, and anon 
he made Sir Kaye swear upon a book how he came to 
that sword. "Sir," said Sir Kaye, "by my brother, 
Arthur, for he brought it to me." "How got you this 
sword?" said Sir Ector to Arthur. "Sir, I will tell 
you. When I came home for my brother's sword, I 
found nobody at home to deliver me his sword, and 
so I thought my brother, Sir Kaye, should not be 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 9 

swordless, and so I came hither eagerly, and pulled 
it out of the stone without any pain." "Found ye 
any knights about this sword?" said Sir Ector. 
"Nay," said Arthur. "Now," said Sir Ector to Ar- 
thur, "I understand that you must be king of this 
land." "Wherefore I?" said Arthur, "and for 
what cause? " "Sir," said Ector, "for God will have 
it so, for there should never man have drawn out this 
sword,, but he that shall be right wise king of this land. 
Now let me see whether ye can put the sword there 
as it was, and pull it out again." "That is no mas- 
tery," said Arthur; and so he put it in the stone. 
Wherewithal Sir Ector assayed to pull out the sword, 
and failed. 

VI. " Now assay," said Sir Ector unto Sir Kaye. 
And anon he pulled at the sword with all his might, 
but it would not be. "Now shall ye assay," said Sir 
Ector to Arthur. "I will well," said Arthur, and 
pulled it out easily. And therewithal Sir Ector 
kneeled down to the earth, and Sir Kaye. "Alas! " 
said Arthur, "mine own dear father and brother, why 
kneel you to me?" "Nay, nay, my lord Arthur, it 
is not so. I was never your father, nor of your blood, 
but I wot well that you are of an higher blood than I 
weened you were." And then Sir Ector told him all how 
he was betaken him for to nourish him, and by whose 
commandment, and by Merlin's deliverance. Then 
Arthur made great dole when he understood that Sir 
Ector was not his father. "Sir," said Ector unto 
Arthur, " will you be my good and gracious lord when 
you are king?" "Else were I to blame," said Ar- 
thur, "for you are the man in the world that I am 
most beholding to, and my good lady and mother, 
your wife, that, as well as her own, hath fostered me 



10 KING ARTHUR 

and kept; and, if ever it be God's will that I be king, 
as ye say, ye shall desire of me what I may do, and 
I shall not fail you. God forbid I should fail you! " 
"Sir," said Sir Ector, "I will ask no more of you, 
but that you will make my son, your foster brother, 
Sir Kaye, seneschal of all your lands." "That shall 
be done," said Arthur, "and more, by the faith of my 
body, — that never man shall have that office but 
he, while he and I live." Therewithal they went 
unto the archbishop, and told him how the sword was 
achieved, and by whom. And, on Twelfth Day, all 
the barons came thither and to assay to take the sword 
who that would assay. But there afore them all 
there might none take it out but Arthur, wherefore 
there were many great lords wroth, and said, "It was 
great shame unto them all and the realm, to be over- 
governed with a boy of no high blood born." And 
so they fell out at that time, that it was put off till 
Candlemas, and then all the barons should meet there 
again. But alway the ten knights were ordained to 
watch the sword day and night; and so they set a 
pavilion over the stone and the sword, and five always 
watched. 

So at Candlemas many more great lords came thither 
for to have won the sword, but there might none pre- 
vail; and right as Arthur did at Christmas he did at 
Candlemas, and pulled out the sword easily, whereof 
the barons were sore aggrieved, and put it off in delay 
till the high feast of Easter; and, as Arthur sped 
afore, so did he at Easter. Yet there were some of 
the great lords had indignation that Arthur should 
be king, and put it off in a delay till the feast of Pen- 
tecost. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury, by Mer- 
lin's providence, let purvey then of the best knights 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 11 

that they might get, and such knights as Uther Pen- 
dragon loved best, and most trusted in his days; and 
such knights were put about Arthur, as Sir Baudewin 
of Britain, Sir Kaye, Sir Ulfius, [and] Sir Brastias. 
All these, with many others, were always about Ar- 
thur, day and night, till the feast of Pentecost. 

VII. And, at the feast of Pentecost, all manner of 
men assayed for to pull at the sword that would assay; 
but none might prevail but Arthur, and pulled it out 
afore all the lords and commons that were there ; 
wherefore all the commons cried at once, "We will 
have Arthur unto our king. We will put him no more 
in delay, for we all see that it is God's will that he shall 
be our king, and who that holdeth against it we will 
slay him." And therewithal they kneeled [down all] 
at once, both rich and poor, and cried Arthur mercy 
because they had delayed him so long. And Arthur 
forgave them, and took the sword between both his 
hands, and offered it upon the altar, where the arch- 
bishop was, and so was he made knight of the best man 
that was there. And so anon was the coronation made, 
and there was he sworn unto his lords and the commons 
for to be a true king, to stand with true justice from 
thenceforth the days of this life; also then he made 
all the lords that held of the crown to come in and 
to do him service as they ought to do. And many 
complaints were made unto Sir Arthur, of great 
wrongs that were done since the death of King Uther, 
of many lands that were bereaved [of] lords, knights, 
ladies, and gentlemen; wherefore King Arthur made 
the lands for to be given again to them that owned 
them. 

When this was done that the king had stablished 
all the countries about London, then he let make Sir 



12 KING ARTHUR 

Kaye seneschal of England, and Sir Baudewin of 
Britain was made constable, and Sir Ulfius was made 
chamberlain, and Sir Brastias was made warden to 
wait upon the North from Trent forwards, for it was 
that time the most part the King's enemies. But 
within few years after, Arthur won all the North, 
Scotland, and all that were under their obeisance. 
Also Wales, a part of it, held against Arthur, but he 
overcame them all, as he did the remnant, through the 
noble prowess of himself and his knights of the Round 
Table. 

VIII. Then the king removed into Wales, and let 
cry a great feast, that it should be holden at Pentecost 
after the incoronation of him at the city of Carlion. 
Unto the feast came King Lot of Lothian and of 
Orkney, with five hundred knights with him. Also 
there came to the feast King Uriens of Gore, with 
four hundred knights with him. Also there came to 
that feast King Nentres of Garlot, with seven hundred 
knights with him. Also there came to the feast the 
King of Scotland, with six hundred knights with him, 
and he was but a young man. Also there came to the 
feast a king, that was called the King with the Hun- 
dred Knights, but he and his men were passing well 
beseen at all points. Also there came the King of 
Carados with five hundred knights. And King Ar- 
thur was glad of their coming, for he weened that all 
the kings and knights had come for great love, and 
to have done him worship at his feast, wherefore the 
king made great joy, and sent the kings and knights 
great presents. But the kings would none receive, 
but rebuked the messengers shamefully, and said they 
had no joy to receive no gifts of a beardless boy that 
was come of low blood, and sent him word that they 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 13 

would none of his gifts, but that they were come to 
give hi in gifts with hard swords betwixt the neck and 
the shoulders, and therefore they came thither. So 
they told to the messengers plainly, for it was great 
shame to all them to see such a boy to have a rule of 
so noble a realm as this land was. With this answer 
the messengers departed, and told to King Arthur 
this answer. Wherefore, by the advice of his barons, 
he took him to a strong tower, with five hundred 
good men with him, and all the kings aforesaid in a 
manner laid a siege tofore him, but King Arthur was 
well victualled. 

And within fifteen days there came Merlin among 
them into the city of Carlion. Then all the kings 
were passing glad of Merlin, and asked him, "For 
what cause is that boy, Arthur, made your king?" 
"Sirs," said Merlin, "I shall tell you the cause, for 
he is King Uther Pendragon's son, born in wedlock 
of Igraine, the duke's wife of Tintagil." "Then is 
he no lawful son," they said all. "That is he," said 
Merlin, "and, who saith nay, he shall be king, and 
overcome all his enemies; and, ere he die, he shall be 
long king of all England, and have under his obeisance 
Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and more realms than 
I will now rehearse." Some of the kings had marvel 
of Merlin's words, and deemed well that it should be 
as he said; and some of them laughed him to scorn, 
as King Lot, and more other called him a witch. 
But then were they accorded with Merlin, that King 
Arthur should come out and speak with the kings, 
and to come safe and go safe ; such assurance there 
was made. So Merlin went unto King Arthur, and 
told him how he had done, and bade him fear not, 
but come out boldly and speak with them, and spare 



14 KING ARTHUR 

them not, but answer them as their king and chief- 
tain, "for ye shall overcome them all, whether they 
will or will not." 

IX. Then King Arthur came out of his tower, and 
had under his gown a jesseraunt of double mail, and 
there went with him the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
and Sir Baudewin of Britain, and Sir Kaye, and Sir 
Brastias; these were the men of most worship that 
were with him. And when they were met, there was 
no meekness, but stout words on both sides. But al- 
ways King Arthur answered them and said he would 
make them to bow, and he lived. Wherefore they 
departed with wrath, and King Arthur bade keep 
them well, and they bade the king keep him well. 
So the king returned him to the tower again, and 
armed him and all his knights. "What will ye do?" 
said Merlin to the kings : "ye were better for to stint, 
for ye shall not here prevail, though ye were ten so 
many." "Be we well advised to be afraid of a dream- 
reader?" said King Lot. 

With that Merlin vanished away, and came to King 
Arthur, and bade him set on them fiercely; and in 
the meanwhile there were three hundred good men of 
the best that were with the kings, that went straight 
unto King Arthur, and that comforted him greatly. 
"Sir," said Merlin to Arthur, "fight not with the 
sword ye had by miracle, till that ye see ye go unto 
the worse. Then draw it out and do your best." So 
forthwithal King Arthur set upon them in their lodg- 
ing, and Sir Baudewin, Sir Kaye, and Sir Brastias 
slew on the right hand and on the left hand, that it 
was marvel, and always King Arthur on horseback 
laid on with a sword, and did marvellous deeds of arms, 
that many of the kings had great joy of his deeds and 






THE BOOK OF MERLIN 15 

hardiness. Then King Lot brake out on the backside, 
and the King with the Hundred Knights, and King 
Carados, and set on Arthur fiercely behind him. With 
that Sir Arthur turned with his knights, and smote 
behind and before, and ever Sir Arthur was in the 
foremost press, till his horse was slain underneath him, 
and therewith King Lot smote down King Arthur. 
With that his four knights received him, and set him 
on horseback. Then he drew his sword Excalibur; 
but it was so bright in his enemy's eyes, that it gave 
light like thirty torches, and therewith he put them 
aback, and slew much people. And then the commons 
of Carlion arose with clubs and staves, and slew many 
knights; but all the knights held them together with 
their knights that were left alive, and so fled and de- 
parted. And Merlin came unto Arthur, and coun- 
selled him to follow them no further. 

X. So, after the feast and tourney, King Arthur 
drew him unto London, and so by the counsel of Mer- 
lin the king let call his barons to counsel; for Merlin 
had told the king that the six knights that made war 
upon him would in all haste be awroke on him and on 
his lands. Wherefore the king asked counsel at them 
all. They could no counsel give, but said, "They 
were big enough." "Ye say well," said Arthur; "I 
thank you for your good courage; but will ye all that 
love me speak with Merlin? Ye know well that he 
hath done much for me, and he knoweth many things. 
And when he is afore you, I would that ye prayed 
him heartily of his best advice." And all the barons 
said they would pray him and desire him. So Merlin 
was sent for, and fair desired of all the barons to give 
them best counsel. "I shall say you," said Merlin; 
"I warn you all, your enemies are passing strong for 



16 KING ARTHUR 

you, and they are good men of arms as be alive; and 
by this time they have gotten to them four kings more, 
and a mighty duke; and unless that our king have 
more chivalry with him than he may make within the 
bounds of his own realm, and he fight with them in 
battle, he shall be overcome and slain." "What were 
the best to do in this cause? " said all the barons. "I 
shall tell you," said Merlin, "mine advice. There 
are two brethren beyond the sea, and they be kings 
both, and marvellous good men of their hands. The 
one hight King Ban of Benwick, and that other hight 
King Bors of Gaul, that is France, and on these two 
kings warreth a mighty man of men, the King Claudas, 
and strive th with them for a castle, and great war is 
betwixt them. But this Claudas is so mighty of goods, 
whereof he getteth good knights, that he putteth these 
two kings [the] most part to the worse. Wherefore this 
is my counsel, that our king and sovereign lord send 
unto the kings, Ban and Bors, by two trusty knights 
with letters well devised, that, and they will come and 
see King Arthur and his court, and so help him in 
his wars, that he will be sworn unto them to help them 
in their wars against King Claudas. Now, what say 
ye unto this counsel?" said Merlin. "This is well 
counselled," said the king and all the barons. 

Right so in all haste there were ordained to go two 
knights on the message unto the two kings. So were 
there made letters in the pleasant wise, according unto 
King Arthur's desire. Ulfius and Brastias were made 
the messengers, and so rode forth well horsed and well 
armed, and as the guise was that time, and so passed 
the sea, and rode toward the city of Benwick. And 
there besides were eight knights that espied them, and 
at a straight passage they met with Uliius and Bras- 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 17 

tias, and would have taken them prisoners. So they 
prayed them that they might pass, for they were mes- 
sengers unto King Ban and Bors, sent from King 
Arthur. "Therefore," said the eight knights, "ye 
shall die, or be prisoners, for we be knights of King 
Claudas." And therewith two of them dressed their 
spears, and Ulfius and Brastias dressed their spears, 
and ran together with great randon, and Claudas 's 
knights brake their spears, and thereto held and bare 
the two knights out of their saddles to the earth, and 
so left them lying, and rode their ways; and the other 
six knights rode afore to a passage to meet with them 
again, and so Ulfius and Brastias smote other two dow r n, 
and so passed on their ways. And at the fourth pas- 
sage there met two for two, and both were laid unto 
the earth; so there was none of the eight knights but 
he was sore hurt or bruised. And when they came to 
Benwick, it fortuned there were both the kings, Ban 
and Bors. And when it was told the kings that there 
were come messengers, there were sent unto them two 
knights of worship, the one hight Lionses, lord of 
the country of Payarne, and Sir Phariaunce, a wor- 
shipful knight. Anon they asked from whence they 
came, and they said, "From King Arthur of Eng- 
land; " so they took them in their arms, and made 
great joy each of other. But anon as the two kings 
wist they were messengers of Arthur's, there was made 
no tarrying, but forthwith they spake with the knights, 
and welcomed them in the faithfullest wise, and said 
they were most welcome unto them before all the 
kings living. And therewith they kissed the letters, 
and delivered them. And when Ban and Bors un- 
derstood the letters, then were they more welcome 
than they were before; and after the haste of the let- 



18 KING ARTHUR 

ters they gave them this answer, that they would fulfil 
the desire of King Arthur's writing, and [let] Ulfius 
and Brastias tarry there as long as they would, they 
should have such cheer as might be made them in those 
marches. Then Ulfius and Brastias told the kings of 
the adventure at their passage of the eight knights. 
"Ha! ha! " said Ban and Bors, "they were my good 
friends. I would I had wist of them ; they should not 
have escaped so." So Ulfius and Brastias had good 
cheer and great gifts, as much as they might bear 
away, and had their answer by mouth and by writing, 
that those two kings would come unto King Arthur in 
all the haste that they might. 

So the two knights rode on afore, and passed the 
sea, and came to their lord, and told him how they 
had sped, whereof King Arthur was passing glad. 
"At what time suppose ye the two kings will be 
here?" "Sir," said they, "afore Allhallowmas." 
Then the king let purvey for a great feast, and let 
cry a great joust. And by Allhallowmas the two 
kings were come over the sea, with three hundred 
knights well arrayed, both for the peace and for the 
war. And King Arthur met with them ten mile out 
of London, and there was great joy as could be thought 
or made. And on Allhallowmas, at the great feast 
sat in the hall the three kings, and Sir Kaye, the sen- 
eschal, served in the hall, and Sir Lucas, the butler, 
that was Duke Corneus's son, and Sir Griflet, that 
was the son of Cardol; these three knights had the 
rule of all the service that served the kings. And 
anon as they had washed and risen, all knights that 
would joust made them ready. By then they were 
ready on horseback, there were seven hundred knights; 
and Arthur, Ban, and Bors, with the Archbishop of 






THE BOOK OF MERLIN 19 

Canterbury, and Sir Ector, Kaye's father, they were 
in a place covered with cloth of gold like an hall, with 
ladies and gentlewomen, for to behold who did best, 
and thereon to give judgment. 

XI. And King Arthur and the two kings let depart 
the seven hundred knights in two parties; and there 
were three hundred knights of the realm of Benwick 
and of Gaul turned on the other side. Then they 
dressed, their shields, and began to couch their spears, 
many good knights. So Griflet was the first that met 
with a knight, one Ladinas, and they met so eagerly 
that all men had wonder; and they so fought that their 
shields fell to pieces, and horse and man fell to the 
earth. 

And both the French knight and the English knight 
lay so long, that all men weened that they had been 
dead. When Lucas, the butler, saw Griflet lie so, 
he horsed him again anon, and they two did marvel- 
lous deeds of arms with many bachelors. Also Sir 
Kaye came out of an enbushment with five knights 
with him, and they six smote other six down. But 
Sir Kaye did that day marvellous deeds of arms, that 
there was none did so well as he that day. Then 
there came Ladinas and Grastian, two knights of 
France, and did passing well, that all men praised 
them. Then came there Sir Placidas, a good knight, 
and met with Sir Kaye, and smote him down, horse 
and man; wherefore Sir Griflet was wroth, and met 
with Sir Placidas so hard, that horse and man fell to 
the earth. But when the five knights wist that Sir 
Kaye had a fall, they were wroth out of wit, and there- 
with each of them five bare down a> knight. "When 
King Arthur and the two kings saw them begin [to] wax 
wroth on both parts, they leaped on small hackneys, 



20 KING ARTHUR 

and let cry that all men should depart unto their lodg- 
ing ; and so they went home and unarmed them, and 
so to evensong and supper. And, after, the three 
kings went into a garden, and gave the prize unto Sir 
Kaye and to Lucas, the butler, and to Sir Griflet; and 
then they went unto council, and with them Gwenbaus, 
the brother unto Sir Ban and Bors, a wise clerk, and 
thither went Ulfius and Brastias, and Merlin; and 
after they had been in council, they went unto bed. 

And on the morn they heard mass, and to dinner, 
and so to their council, and made many arguments 
what were best to do. At the last they were concluded 
that Merlin should go with a token of King Ban (and 
that was a ring) unto his men, and King Bors's, and 
Gracian and Placidas should go again and keep their 
castles and their countries, as King Ban of Benwick 
and King Bors of Gaul had ordained them; and so 
passed the sea and came to Benwick. And when the 
people saw King Ban's ring, and Gracian and Placi- 
das, they were glad, and asked how the kings fared, 
and made great joy of their welfare and accordance; 
and, according unto the sovereign lord's desire, the 
men of war made them ready in all haste possible, so 
that they were fifteen thousand on horse and foot, 
and they had great plenty of victual with them, by 
Merlin's provision. But Gracian and Placidas were 
left to furnish and garnish the castles, for dread of 
King Claudas. Right so Merlin passed the sea, well 
victualled both by water and by land; and, when he 
came to the sea, he sent home the footmen again, and 
took no more with him but ten thousand men on horse- 
back, the most part men of arms, and so shipped and 
passed the sea into England, and landed at Dover; 
and through the wit of Merlin he had the host north- 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 21 

ward, the priviest way that could be thought, unto the 
forest of Bedegraine, and there in a valley he lodged 
them secretly. 

Then rode Merlin unto King Arthur and the two 
kings, and told them how he had sped; whereof they 
had great marvel, that man on earth might speed so 
soon, and go and come. So Merlin told them ten 
thousand were in the forest of Bedegraine, well armed 
at all ^points. Then was there no more to say, but to 
horseback went all the host, as Arthur had afore pur- 
veyed. So, with twenty thousand, he passed by night 
and day. But there was made such an ordinance afore 
by Merlin, that there should no man of war ride nor 
go in no country, on this side Trent water, but if he 
had a token from King Arthur, where through the 
king's enemies durst not ride, as they did tofore, to 
espy. 

XII. And so within a little space the three kings 
came unto the castle of Bedegraine, and found there a 
passing fair fellowship and well beseen, whereof they 
had great joy; and victual they wanted none. This 
was the cause of the northern host, that they were 
reared for the despite and rebuke that the six kings 
had at Carlion. And those six kings, by their means, 
gat unto them five other kings, and thus they began 
to gather their people ; and how they swore, that for 
weal nor woe, they should not leave other till they had 
destroyed Arthur; and then they made an oath. The 
first that began the oath was the Duke of Candebenet, 
that he would bring with him five thousand men of 
arms, the which were ready on horseback. Then sware 
King Brandegoris of Stranggore, that he would bring 
five thousand men of arms on horseback. Then sware 
Kin jr Clariaunce of Northumberland that he would 



22 KING ARTHUR 

bring three thousand men of arms. Then sware the 
King of the Hundred Knights, that was a passing good 
man and a young, that he would bring four thousand 
men on horseback. Then there swore King Lot, a 
passing good knight and Sir Gawaine's father, that he 
would bring five thousand men of arms on horseback. 
Also there swore King Uriens, that was Sir Uwaine's 
father, of the land of Gore, and he would bring six 
thousand men of arms on horseback. Also there swore 
King Idres of Cornwall, that he would bring five thou- 
sand men of arms on horseback. Also there swore 
King Cradelmant to bring five thousand men [of arms] 
on horseback. Also there swore King Agwisaunce of 
Ireland, to bring five thousand men of arms on horse- 
back. Also there swore King Nentres to bring five 
thousand men of arms on horseback. Also there swore 
King Carados to bring five thousand men of arms on 
horseback. So their whole host was of clean men of 
arms on horseback fifty thousand, and afoot ten thou- 
sand, of good men's bodies. 

Then were they soon ready, and mounted upon 
horse, and sent forth their fore-riders. For these 
eleven kings, in their ways, laid a siege unto the castle 
of Bedegraine. And so they departed, and drew toward 
Arthur, and left few to abide at the siege, for the cas- 
tle of Bedegraine was holden of King Arthur, and the 
men that were therein were Arthur's. 

XIII. So, by Merlin's advice, there were sent fore- 
riders to skim the country, and there met with the 
fore-riders of the North, and made them tell which 
way the host came, and then they told it to Arthur; 
and by King Ban and Bors's counsel, they let burn 
and destroyed all the country afore them, there they 
should ride. 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 23 

The King with the Hundred Knights dreamed 1 a 
wonder dream, two nights afore the battle, that there 
blew a great wind, and blew down their castles and 
their towns, and after that came a water, and bare it 
all away. All that heard of the sweven said it was a 
token of great battle. Then, by the counsel of Mer- 
lin, when they wist which way the eleven kings would 
ride, and lodge that night, at midnight they set upon 
them as they were in their pavilions. But the scout 
watch by their host cried, "Lords, at arms, for here 
be your enemies at your hand! " 

XIV. Then King Arthur, and King Ban, and 
King Bors, with their good and trusty knights, set on 
them so fiercely, that they made them overthrow their 
pavilions on their heads; but the eleven kings, by 
manly prowess of arms, took a fair champaign. But 
there was slain that morrow-tide ten thousand good 
men's bodies. And so they had afore them a strong 
passage, yet were they fifty thousand of hardy men. 
Then it drew, toward day. "Now shall you do, by 
mine advice," said Merlin unto the three kings; "I 
would that King Ban and King Bors, with their fel- 
lowship of ten thousand men, were put in a wood here 
beside, in an enbushment, and keep them privy, and 
that they be laid ere the light of the day come, and 
that they stir not till ye and your knights have fought 
with them long. And when it is daylight, dress your 
battle even afore them and the passage, that they may 
see all your host; for then they will be the more hardy 
when they see you but twenty thousand, and cause 
them to be the gladder to suffer you and your host to 
come over the passage." All the three kings and the 

1 In text, mette, from A. S. mcetan, to dream. 



24 KING ARTHUR 

whole barons said that Merlin said passing well, and 
it was done anon as Merlin had devised. 

So on the morn, when either host saw other, the host 
of the North was well confronted. Then to Ulfius and 
Brastias were delivered three thousand men of arms, 
and they set on them fiercely in the passage, and slew 
on the right hand and on the left hand, that it was 
wonder to tell. When that the eleven knights saw 
that there was so few a fellowship did such deeds of 
arms, they were ashamed, and set on them again 
fiercely; and there were Sir Ulfius 's horse slain under 
him, but he did marvellously well on foot. But the 
Duke Eustace of Candebenet, and King Clariaunce 
of Northumberland, were alway grievous on Sir Ulfius. 
Then Brastias saw his fellow fared so withal, he 
smote the duke with a spear, that horse and man fell 
down. That saw King Clariaunce, and returned unto 
Brastias, and either smote other, so that horse and 
man went to the earth; and so they lay long astonied, 
and their horses' knees burst to the hard bone. Then 
came Sir Kaye the seneschal with six fellows with him, 
and did passing well. With that came the eleven 
kings, and there was Griflet put to the earth, horse 
and man; and Lucas, the butler, horse and man, by 
King Brandegoris, and King Idres, and King Agwi- 
saunce. Then waxed the meddle passing hard on both 
parties. When Sir Kaye saw Sir Griflet on foot, he 
rode on King Nentres, and smote him down, and led 
his horse unto Sir Griflet, and horsed him again. 
Also Sir Kaye, with the same spear, smote down King 
Lot, and hurt him passing sore. That saw the King 
with the Hundred Knights, and ran unto Sir Kaye, 
and smote him down, and took his horse, and gave 
him to King Lot, whereof he said gramercy. When 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 25 

Sir Griflet saw Sir Kaye and Lucas, the butler, on 
foot, he took a sharp spear, great and square, and 
rode to Pynell, a good man of arms, and smote horse 
and man down, and then he took his horse and gave 
him Sir Kaye. Then King Lot saw King Nentres on 
foot, he ran unto Melot de la Roche, and smote him 
down, horse and man, and gave King Nentres the 
horse, and horsed him again. Also the King of the 
Hundred Knights saw King Idres on foot, then he ran 
unto Guimiart de Bloy, and smote him down, horse 
and man, and gave King Idres the horse, and horsed 
him again. And Kins: Lot smote down Clariaunce de 
la Forest Saveage, and gave the horse unto Duke Eus- 
tace. And so, when they had horsed the kings again, 
they drew them all eleven kings together, and said 
they would be revenged of the damage that they had 
taken that day. 

In the meanwhile came in Sir Ector, with an eager 
countenance, and found Ulfius and Brastias on foot, 
in great peril of death, that were foul defiled under 
[the] horses' feet. Then King Arthur as a lion ran 
into King Cradelment of North Wales, and smote 
him through the left side that the horse and the king 
fell down, and then he took the horse by the rein, 
and led him unto Ulfius, and said, "Have this horse, 
mine old friend, for great need hast thou of horse." 
"Gramercy! " said Ulfius. Then Sir Arthur did so 
marvellously in arms, that all men had wonder. When 
the King with the Hundred Knights saw King Cradel- 
ment on foot, he ran unto Sir Ector, that was well 
horsed, Sir Kaye's father, and smote horse and man 
down, and gave the horse unto the king, and horsed 
him again. And when King Arthur saw the king 
ride on Sir Ector's horse, he was wroth, and with his 



26 KING ARTHUR 

sword he smote the king on the helm, that a quarter 
of the helm and shield fell down, and so the sword 
carved down unto the horse's neck, and so the king 
and the horse fell down to the ground. Then Sir 
Kaye came to Sir Morganore, seneschal, with the King 
of the Hundred Knights, and smote him down, horse 
and man, and led the horse unto his father, Sir Ector. 
Then Sir Ector ran unto a knight, that hight Lardans, 
and smote horse and man down, and led the horse unto 
Sir Brastias, that great need had of a horse, and was 
greatly defiled. When Brastias beheld Lucas, the 
butler, that lay like a dead man under the horses' feet, 
and ever Sir Griflet did marvellously for to rescue 
him, and there were always fourteen knights on Sir 
Lucas, and then Brastias smote one of them on the 
helm, that it went to the teeth, and he rode to an- 
other, and smote him, that the arm flew into the field, 
then he went to the third, and smote him on the shoul- 
der, that shoulder and arm flew in the field. And 
when Griflet saw rescue, he smote a knight on the 
temples, that head and helm went to the earth, and 
Griflet took the horse of that knight, and led him 
unto Sir Lucas, and bade him mount upon the horse, 
and revenge his hurts; for Brastias had slain a knight 
tofore, and horsed Griflet. 

XV. Then Lucas saw King Agwisaunce, that late 
had slain Moris de la Roche; and Lucas ran to him 
with a short spear that was great, that he gave him such 
a fall, that the horse fell down to the earth. Also 
Lucas found there on foot Bloyas de la Flaundres and 
Sir Guinas, two hardy knights; and in that woodness 
that Lucas was in he slew two bachelors, and horsed 
them again. Then waxed the battle passing hard on 
both parties; but Arthur was glad that his knights 






THE BOOK OF MERLIN 27 

were horsed again : and then they fought together, that 
the noise and sound rang by the water and the wood ; 
wherefore King Ban and King Bors made them ready, 
and dressed their shields and harness, and they were 
so courageous, that many knights shook and trembled 
for eagerness. 

All this while Lucas, and Guinas, and Briaunt, and 
Bellias of Flanders, held strong meddle against six 
kings,' that was King Lot, King Nentres, King Bran- 
degoris, King Idres, King Uriens, and King Agwi- 
saunce. So, with the help of Sir Kaye and of Sir Grif - 
let, they held these six kings hard, that unnethe they 
had any power to defend them. But when Sir Arthur 
saw the battle would not be ended by no manner, he 
fared wood as a lion, and stirred his horse here and 
there, on the right hand and on the left hand, that he 
stinted not till he had slain twenty knights. Also he 
wounded King Lot sore on the shoulder, and made 
him to leave that ground; for Sir Kaye and Griflet did 
with King Arthur there great deeds of arms. Then 
Ulfius and Brastias and Sir Ector encountered against 
the Duke Eustace and King Cradelment and King 
Cradelmant and King Clariaunce of Northumberland 
and King Carados, and against the King with the 
Hundred Knights. So these knights encountered with 
these kings, that they made them to avoid the ground. 

Then King Lot made great dole for his damages 
and [for] his fellows, and said unto the ten kings, "But 
if ye will do as I devise, we shall be slain and de- 
stroyed. Let me have the King with the Hundred 
Knights, King Agwisaunce, and King Idres, and the 
Duke of Candebenet, and we five kings will have fif- 
teen thousand men of arms with us, and we will go 
apart while ye six kings hold the meddle with twelve 



28 KING ARTHUR 

thousand; and we see that ye have foughten with 
them long, then will we come on fiercely, and else shall 
we never match them," said King Lot, "but by this 
mean." So they departed as they here devised, and 
six kings made their party strong against Arthur, and 
made great war long. 

In the meanwhile brake the enbushment of King 
Ban and King Bors, and Lionses and Phariaunce had 
the avant-guard; and they two knights met with King 
Idres and his fellowship; and there began a great 
meddle of breaking of spears, and smiting of swords, 
with slaying of men and horses, and King Idres was 
near at discomfiture. That saw Agwisaunce, the king, 
and put Lionses and Phariaunce in point of death, for 
the Duke of Candebenet came on withal with a great 
fellowship. So these two knights were in great dan- 
ger of their lives, that they were fain to return, but 
always they rescued themselves and their fellowship 
marvellously. 

When King Bors saw those knights put aback, it 
grieved him sore. Then he came on so fast, that his 
fellowship seemed as black as Ind. When King Lot 
had espied King Bors, he knew him well; then he 
said, "O Jesu! defend us from death and horrible 
maims; for I see well we be in great peril of death, 
for I see yonder a king, one of the most worshipfullest 
men, and one of the best knights in the world, be in- 
clined unto his fellowship." " What is he? " said the 
King with the Hundred Knights. "It is," said King 
Lot, "King Bors of Gaul. I marvel how they come 
into this country without witting of us all." "It was 
by Merlin's advice," said the knight. "As for him," 
said King Carados, " I will encounter with King Bors, 
an ye will rescue me when myster is." "Go on," said 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 29 

they all; "we will do all that we may." Then King 
Carados and his host rode on a soft pace till that they 
came as nigh King Bors as a bow-draught. Then 
either battle let their horses run as fast as they might; 
and Bleoberis, that was godson unto King Bors, he 
bare his chief standard, that was a passing good knight. 
"Now shall we see," said King Bors, "how these 
northern Britons can bear the arms." And King 
Bors ^encountered with a knight, and smote him 
through with a spear, that he fell down dead unto 
the earth, and after drew his sword, and did marvel- 
lous deeds of arms, that all parties had great wonder 
thereof; and his knights failed not, but did their part, 
and King Carados was smitten to the earth. With 
that came the King with the Hundred Knights, and 
rescued King Carados mightily by force of arms, for 
he was a passing good knight of a king, and but a 
young man. 

XVI. By then came into the field King Ban as 
fierce as a lion, with bands of green and, thereupon, 
gold. "Ha! ha! " said King Lot, "we must be dis- 
comfited, for yonder I see the most valiant knight of 
the world, and the man of the most renown. For 
such two brethren as is King Ban and King Bors are 
not living; wherefore, we must needs void or die. 
And but if we avoid manly and wisely, there is but 
death." When King Ban came into the battle, he 
came in so fiercely, that the strokes resounded again 
from the wood and the water; wherefore King Lot 
wept for pity and dole, that he saw so many good 
knights take their end. But, through the great force 
of King Ban, they made both the northern battles 
that were departed to hurtle together for great dread; 
and the three kings and their knights slew on ever, 



30 KING ARTHUR 

that it was pity to behold that multitude of the people 
that fled. 

But King Lot and King of the Hundred Knights 
and King Morganore gathered the people together 
passing knightly, and did great prowess of arms, and 
held the battle all that day like hard. When the King 
of the Hundred Knights beheld the great damage that 
King Ban did, he thrust unto him with his horse, and 
smote him on high upon the helm a great stroke and 
astonied him sore. Then King Ban was wroth with 
him, and followed on him fiercely. The other saw 
that, and cast up his shield, and spurred his horse 
forward; but the stroke of King Ban fell down, and 
carved a cantel off the shield, and the sword slid down 
by the hauberk behind his back, and cut through the 
trappere of steel, and the horse even, in two pieces, 
that the sword felt the earth. Then the King of the 
Hundred Knights voided the horse lightly, and with 
his sword he broached the horse of King Ban through 
and through. With that King Ban voided lightly 
from the dead horse, and then King Ban smote at the 
other so eagerly and smote him on the helm that he 
fell to the earth. Also in that ire he felled King 
Morganore, and there was great slaughter of good 
knights and much people. 

By then came into the press King Arthur and found 
King Ban standing among dead men and dead horses, 
fighting on foot as a wood lion, that there came none 
nigh him as far as he might reach with his sword, but 
he caught a grievous buffet, whereof King Arthur had 
great pity. And Arthur was so bloody that by his 
shield there might no man know him, for all was 
blood and brains on his sword. And, as Arthur 
looked by him, he saw a knight that was passing well 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 31 

horsed; and therewith Sir Arthur ran to him, and 
smote him on the helm that his sword went unto his 
teeth, and the knight sank down to the earth, dead, 
and anon Arthur took the horse by the rein, and led 
him unto King Ban, and said, "Fair brother, have 
this horse, for ye have great myster thereof, and me 
repenteth sore of your great damage." "It shall be 
soon revenged," said King Ban; "for I trust in God 
mine *eure is not such, but some of them may sore 
repent this." "I will well," said Arthur; "for I see 
your deeds full actual. Nevertheless, 1 might not 
come at you at that time." But, when King Ban 
was mounted on horseback, then there began new 
battle, the which was sore and hard, and passing great 
slaughter. 

And so, through great force, King Arthur, King 
Ban, and King Bors made their knights a little to 
withdraw them ; but always the eleven kings with their 
chivalry never turned back; and so withdrew them to 
a little wood, and so over a little river, and there they 
rested them; for on the night they might have no rest 
on the field. And then the eleven kings and knights 
put them on a heap all together, as men adread and 
out of all comfort. But there was no man might pass 
them, they held them so hard together, both behind 
and before, that King Arthur had marvel of their 
deeds of arms, and was passing wroth. "Ah! Sir 
Arthur," said King Ban and King Bors, "blame 
them naught, for they do as good men ought to do; 
for by my faith," said King Ban, "they are the best 
fighting men, and knights of most prowess, that ever 
I saw or heard speak of. And those eleven kings are 
men of great worship; and, if they were longing to 
you, there were no king under the heaven had such 



32 KING ARTHUR 

eleven knights, and of such worship." "I may not 
love them," said Arthur; "they would destroy me." 
"That wot we well," said King Ban and King Bors; 
"for they are your mortal enemies, and that hath been 
proved aforehand; and this day they have done their 
part, and that is great pity of their wilfulness." 

Then all the eleven kings drew them together; and 
then said King Lot, " Lords, ye must other ways than 
ye do, or else the great loss is behind; ye may see 
what people we have lost, and what good men we lose, 
because we wait always upon those footmen; and ever, 
in saving of one of the footmen, we lose ten horsemen 
for him. Therefore, this is mine advice; let us put 
our footmen from us, for it is near night. For the 
noble Arthur will not tarry on the footmen, for they 
may save themselves; the wood is near hand. And 
when we horsemen be together, look every one of you 
kings make such ordinance that none break upon pain 
of death; and who that seeth any man dress him to 
flee, lightly that he be slain; for it is better that we 
slay a coward, than through a coward all we to be 
slain. How say ye? " said King Lot; "answer me, all 
ye kings." "It is well said," quoth King Nentres; 
so said the King of the Hundred Knights; and the 
same said the King Carados and King Uriens; so 
did King Idres and King Brandegoris; and so did 
King Cradelmant and the Duke of Candebenet ; the 
same said King Clariaunce and King Agwisaunce; 
and sware that they would never fail other, neither 
for life nor for death; and whoso that fled, but did as 
they did, should be slain. Then they amended their 
harness, and righted their shields, and took new 
spears, and set them on their thighs, and stood still as 
it had been a plump of wood. 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 33 

XVII. When Sir Arthur, and King Ban, and Bors 
beheld them and all their knights, they praised them 
much for their noble cheer of chivalry, for the har- 
diest fighters that ever they heard or saw. With that 
there dressed them a forty noble knights, and said 
unto the three kings they would break their battle. 
These were their names: — Lionses, Phariaunce, Ul- 
flus, Brastias, Ector, Kaye, Lucas, the butler, Griflet 
le Fise de Dieu, and Mariet de la Roche, Gwinas 
de Bloy, and Briant de la Forest Saveage, Bellaus, 
Morians, of the Castle [of] Maidens, Flanedrias, of 
the Castle of Ladies, Annecians, that was King Bors's 
godson, a noble knight, Ladinas de la Rouse, Eme- 
rause, Caulas, and Gracian le Castlein, one Bloise de 
la Case, and Sir Colgrevaunce de Gorre. All these 
knights rode on afore with spears on their thighs, and 
spurred their horses mightily, as the horses might run. 
And the eleven kings, with part of their knights, 
rushed with their horses as fast as they might with 
their spears; and there they did, on both parties, mar- 
vellous deeds of arms. So came into the thick of the 
press Arthur, Ban, and Bors, and slew downright, on 
both hands, that their horses went in blood up to the 
fetlocks. But ever the eleven kings and their host 
were ever in the visage of King Arthur, wherefore 
Ban and Bors had great marvel, considering the great 
slaughter that there was; but, at the last, they were 
driven aback over a little river. 

With that came Merlin on a great black horse, and 
saitl unto Arthur, "Thou hast never done. Hast thou 
not done enough ? Of threescore thousand this day, 
hast thou left alive but fifteen thousand, and it is time 
to say, Ho! For God is wroth with thee that thou 
wilt never have done; for yonder eleven kings, at this 



34 KING ARTHUR 

time, will not be overthrown ; but, and thou tarry on 
them any longer, thy fortune will turn, and they shall 
increase. And, therefore, withdraw you unto your 
lodging, and rest you as soon as ye may, and reward 
your good knights with gold and with silver; for they 
have well deserved it. There may no riches be too 
dear for them, for of so few men as ye have, there 
were never men did more of prowess than they have 
done to-day, for ye have matched this day with the 
best fighters of the world." "That is truth," said 
King Ban and Bors. "Also," said Merlin, "with- 
draw you where ye list; for this three year I dare 
undertake they shall not dare you, and by then ye 
shall hear new tidings." And then Merlin said unto 
Arthur, " These eleven kings have more on hand than 
they are aware of ; for the Saracens are landed in their 
countries more than forty thousand, that burn and 
slay, and have laid siege at the castle Wandesborough, 
and make great destruction ; therefore, dread you not 
this three year. Also, sir, all the goods that be got- 
ten at this battle, let it be searched; and, when ye 
have it in your hands, let it be given freely unto these 
two kings, Ban and Bors, that they may reward their 
knights withal; and that shall cause strangers to be 
of better will to do you service at need. Also ye be 
able to reward your own knights of your own goods, 
whensoever it liketh you." "It is well said," quoth 
Arthur, "and as thou hast devised so shall it be done." 
When it was delivered to Ban and Bors, they gave 
the goods as freely to their knights as freely as it was 
given to them. 

Then Merlin took his leave of Arthur, and of the 
two kings, for to go and see his master, Bleise, that 
dwelt in Northumberland, and so he departed and 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 35 

came to his master, that was passing glad of his com- 
ing ; and there he told how Arthur and the two kings 
had sped at the great battle, and how it was ended, 
and told the names of every king and knight of wor- 
ship that' was there. And so Bleise wrote the battle, 
word by word, as Merlin told him ; how it began, and 
by whom ; and in likewise how it was ended, and who 
had the worse ; all the battles that were done in Ar- 
thur' s, days, Merlin did his master, Bleise, do write. 
Also he did do write all the battles that every worthy 
knight did of Arthur's court. 

After this Merlin departed from his master, and 
came to King Arthur, that was in the castle of Bede- 
graine, that was one of the castles that stand in the 
forest of Sherwood. And Merlin was so disguised, 
that King Arthur knew him not. For he was all be- 
furred in black sheep-skins, and a great pair of boots, 
a bow and arrows, in a russet gown; and brought 
wild geese in his hand, and it was on the morn after 
Candlemas-day; but King Arthur knew him not. 
"Sir," said Merlin unto the king, "will ye give me 
a gift? " " Wherefore," said King Arthur, "should I 
give thee a gift, churl?" "Sir," said Merlin, "ye 
were better to give me a gift, that is not in your hand, 
than to lose great riches ; for here, in the same place 
where the great battle was, is great treasure hid in 
the earth. " " Who told thee so, churl ? " said Arthur. 
"Merlin told me so," said he. Then Ulfius and Bras- 
tias knew him well enough, and smiled. "Sir," said 
these two knights, " it is Merlin that so speaketh unto 
you." Then King Arthur was greatly abashed, and 
had marvel of Merlin, and so had King Ban and King 
Bors, and so they had great disport at him. 

Then there came word that King Kions of Northern 



36 KING ARTHUR 

Wales, made great war upon King Lodegraunce of 
Camiliard; for the which thing Arthur was wroth, 
for he loved him well, and hated King Rions, for he 
was alway against him. So by ordinance of the three 
kings that were sent home unto Ben wick, all they 
would depart for dread of King Claudas, and Phari- 
aunce, and Antemes, and Gracian, and Lyonses Pay- 
arne, with the leaders of those that should keep the 
king's lands. 

XVIII. And then King Arthur, and King Ban, 
and King Bors departed with their fellowship, a twenty 
thousand, and came, within six days, into the country 
of Camiliard, and there rescued King Lodegraunce, 
and slew there much people of King Rions, unto the 
number of ten thousand men, and put him to flight. 
And then had these three kings great cheer of King 
Lodegraunce, that thanked them of their great good- 
ness that they would revenge him of his enemies. 
And there had Arthur the first sight of Gruenever, the 
king's daughter of Camiliard, and ever after he loved 
her. After, they were wedded, as it telleth in the 
book. So, briefly to make an end, they took their 
leave to go into their own countries, for King Claudas 
did great destruction on their lands. "Then," said 
Arthur, " I will go with you." "Nay," said the kings, 
"ye shall not at this time, for ye have much to do yet 
in these lands, therefore we will depart; and, with the 
great goods that we have gotten in these lands by 
your gifts, we shall wage good knights, and withstand 
the King Claudas 's malice, for by the grace of God, 
if we have need, we will send to you for your succour. 
And if ye have need, send for us, and we will not 
tarry, by the faith of our bodies." "It shall not 
need," said Merlin, "that these two kings come again 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 37 

in the way of war ; but I know well King Arthur may 
not be long from you ; for within a year or two, ye shall 
have great need, and then shall he revenge you on 
your enemies, as ye have revenged him on his. For 
these eleven kings shall die all in a day, by the great 
might and prowess of arms of two valiant knights, as 
it telleth after. Their names be Balin le Saveage 
and Balan, his brother, that be marvellous good 
knights as be any living." 

Now turn we to the eleven kings that returned unto 
a city that hight Sorhaute, which city was within King 
Uriens's land, and there they refreshed them as well 
as they might, and made leeches search their wounds, 
and sorrowed greatly for the death of their people. 
With that there came a messenger, and told how there 
was come into their lands people that were lawless, as 
well as Saracens, a forty thousand, and have burnt and 
slain all the people that they may come by, without 
mercy, and have laid siege unto the castle of Wandes- 
borough. "Alas!" said the eleven kings, "here is 
sorrow upon sorrow; and if we had not warred 
against Arthur, as we have done, he would soon re- 
venge us ; as for King Lodegraunce, he loveth King 
Arthur better than us ; and as for King Rions, he hath 
enough to do with Lodegraunce, for he hath laid siege 
unto him." So they consented together to keep all 
the marches of Cornwall, of Wales, and of the North. 
So first they put King Idres in the city of Nauntis in 
Britain, with four thousand men of arms, to watch 
both the water and the land ; also they put in the city 
of Windesan King Nentres of Gar lot, with four thou- 
sand knights, to watch both on water and on land. 

Also they had, of other men of war, more than eight 
thousand for to fortify all the fortresses in the marches 



38 KING ARTHUR 

of Cornwall; also they put more knights in all the 
marches of Wales and Scotland, with many good 
men of arms. And so they kept them together the 
space of three years, and ever allied them with mighty 
kings and dukes and lords, and to them fell King 
Rions of North Wales, which was a mighty man of 
men, and Nero, that was a mighty man of men. And 
all this while they furnished them and garnished them 
of good men of arms, and victual, and all manner of 
habiliment that pretendeth to the war to avenge them 
for the battle of Bedegraine, as it telleth in the book 
of adventure following. 

XIX. Then after the departing of King Ban and 
of King Bors, King Arthur rode unto Car lion, and 
thither came to him King Lot's wife, of Orkney, in 
manner of a message ; but she was sent thither to espy 
the court of King Arthur, and she came richly beseen 
with her four sons, Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and 
Gareth, with many other knights and ladies; for she 
was a passing fair lady, wherefore the king cast great 
love unto her. So there she rested her a month, and, 
at the last, departed. 

Then the king dreamed a marvellous dream, whereof 
he was sore adread. And thus was the dream of Ar- 
thur. Him thought that there was come into this land 
griffins and serpents, and him thought they burnt and 
slew all the people in the land, and then him thought 
he fought with them, and they did him passing great 
harm, and wounded him full sore; but, at the last, 
he slew them. When the king awoke he was passing 
heavy of his dream; and so, to put it out of thoughts, 
he made him ready, with many knights, to ride a-hunt- 
ing. As soon as he was in the forest the king saw 
a great hart afore him. "This hart will I chase," 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 39 

said King Arthur. And so he spurred the horse, 
and rode after long ; and so, by fine force, oft he was 
like to have smitten the hart, whereas the king had 
chased the hart so long, that his horse had lost his 
breath, and fell down dead. Then a yeoman fetched 
the king another horse. So the king saw the hart 
enbushed, and his horse dead, he set him down by a 
fountain, and there he fell in great thoughts. 

And as he sat so there, him thought he heard a 
noise of hounds to the sum of thirty; and with that 
the king saw coming toward him the strangest beast 
that ever he saw or heard of. So the beast went to 
the well, and drank, and the noise was in the beast's 
belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds ; 
but all the while the beast drank there was no noise 
in the beast's belly. And therewith the beast de- 
parted with a great noise, whereof the king had great 
marvel; and so he was in a great thought, and there- 
with he fell asleep. Right so there came a knight 
afoot unto Arthur, and said, "Knight, full of thought, 
and sleepy, tell me if thou sawest a strange beast pass 
this way?" "Such one saw I," said King Arthur, 
"that is past two mile. What would you with the 
beast?" said Arthur. "Sir, I have followed that 
beast a long time, and have killed mine horse, so 
would God I had another to follow my quest." Right 
so came one with the king's horse; and when the 
knight saw the horse, he prayed the king to give him 
the horse, "for I have followed this quest this twelve- 
month, and either I shall achieve him, or bleed of the 
best blood of my body. Pellinore, that time king, 
followed the questing beast, and after his death Sir 
Palomides followed it." 

XX. "Sir knight," said the king, "leave that 



40 KING ARTHUR 

quest, and suffer me to have it, and I will follow it 
another twelvemonth." "Ah! fool," said the knight 
unto Arthur, "thy desire it is in vain; for it shall 
never be achieved but by me, or my next kin." There- 
with he started unto the king's horse, and mounted 
into the saddle, and said, "Gramercy, this horse is 
mine own." "Well," said the king, "thou mayest 
take mine horse by force, but and I might prove thee, 
whether thou were better on horseback or I. " " Well," 
said the knight, "seek me here when thou wilt, and 
here nigh this well thou shalt find me." And so 
passed on his way. 

Then the king sat in a study, and bade his men 
fetch his horse as fast as ever they might. Right so 
came by him Merlin, like a child of fourteen year of 
age, and saluted the king, and asked him why he was 
so pensive and heavy. "I may well be pensive," said 
the king, "for I have seen the marvellest sight that 
ever I saw." "That know I well," said Merlin, "as 
well as thyself, and of all thy thoughts ; but thou art 
but a fool to take thought, for it will not amend thee ; 
also I know what thou art, and who was thy father and 
thy mother; King Uther Pendragon was thy father, 
and thy mother Igraine." "That is false," said King 
Arthur, "how shouldest thou know it? for thou art 
not so old of years to know my father." "Yes," said 
Merlin, "I know it better than ye, or any man liv- 
ing." "I will not believe thee," said Arthur, and 
was wroth with the child. 

So departed Merlin, and came again in the like- 
ness of an old man of fourscore year of age, whereof 
the king was right glad, for he seemed to be right 
wise. Then said the old man, "Why are ye so sad? " 
"I may well be heavy," said Arthur, "for many 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 41 

tilings ; also here was a child, and told me many things 
that me seemeth he should not know; for he was not 
of age to know my father." u Yes," said the old man, 
"the child told you truth, and more would he have 
told you, and ye would have suffered him; but you 
have done a thing late wherefore God is displeased 
with you." "What are ye," said King Arthur, "that 
tell me these tidings? " "I am Merlin, and I was he 
in the, child's likeness." "Ah! " said King Arthur, 
"ye are a marvellous man; but I marvel much at thy 
words, that I must die in battle." "Marvel not," 
said Merlin, "for it is God's will your body to be 
punished for your deeds; but I may well be sorry," 
said Merlin, "for I shall die a shameful death to be 
put in the earth quick ; and ye shall die a worshipful 
death." As they talked this, came one with the king's 
horse; and so the king mounted on his horse, and 
Merlin on another, and so rode unto Carlion. And 
anon the king asked Ector and Ulfius how he was 
begotten ; and they told him Uther Pendragon was his 
father, and Queen Igraine his mother. Then he said 
to Merlin : " I will that my mother be sent for, that 
I may speak with her ; and if she say so herself, then 
will I believe it." In all haste the queen was sent for ; 
and she came, and brought with her Morgan le Fay, 
her daughter, that was as fair a lady as any might be ; 
and the king welcomed Igraine in the best manner. 

XXI. Eight so came Ulfius, and said openly, that 
the king and all might hear that were feasted that day, 
"Ye are the falsest lady of the world, and the most 
traitress unto the king's person." "Beware," said 
Arthur, "what thou sayest; thou speakest a great 
word." "I am well ware," said Ulfius, "what I 
speak; and here is my glove to prove it upon any man 



42 KING ARTHUR 

that will say the contrary, that this Queen Igraine is 
causer of your great damage, and of your great war. 
For, and she would have uttered it in the life of King 
Uther Pendragon of the birth of you, and how ye were 
begotten, ye had never had the mortal wars that ye 
have had. For the most part of your barons of your 
realm knew never whose son ye were, nor of whom 
you were begotten ; and she that bare you should have 
made it known openly, in excusing of her worship and 
yours, and in likewise to all the realm. Wherefore, 
I prove her false to God and to you, and to all your 
realm ; and who will say the contrary, I will prove it 
on his body." 

Then spake Igraine, and said, "I am a woman, and 
I may not fight ; but rather than I should be dishon- 
oured, there would some good man take my quarrel. 
More," she said, "Merlin knoweth well, and ye, Sir 
Ulfius, how King Uther came to me, in the castle of 
Tintagil, and wedded me, and, by his commandment, 
when the child was born, it was delivered unto Merlin, 
and nourished by him. And so I saw the child never 
after, nor wot not what is his name ; for I knew him 
never yet." And there Ulfius said to the queen: 
"Merlin is more to blame than ye." "Well I wot," 
said the queen, "I bare a child by my lord, King 
Uther, but I wot not where he is become." Then 
Merlin took the king by the hand, saying, "This is 
your mother." And therewith Sir Ector bare wit- 
ness how he nourished him by Uther's commandment. 
And therewith King Arthur took his mother, Queen 
Igraine, in his arms, and kissed her, and either wept 
upon other. And then the king let make a feast, that 
lasted eight days. 

Then on a day there came into the court a squire 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 43 

on horseback, leading a knight before him, wounded 
to the death, and told him, how "there was a knight 
in the forest that hath reared up a pavilion by the well, 
and hath slain my master, a good knight, and his name 
was Miles ; wherefore, I beseech you, that my master 
may be buried, and that some knight may revenge my 
master's death." Then the noise was great of that 
knight's death, in the court, and every man said his 
advice. Then came Griflet, that was but a squire, 
and he was but young, of the age of the King Arthur ; 
so he besought the king, for all the service he had 
done, to give him the order of knighthood. 

XXII. "Thou art full young and tender of age," 
said Arthur, "for to take so high an order on thee." 
"Sir," said Griflet, "I beseech you make me knight." 
"Sir," said Merlin, "it were pity to lose Griflet, for 
he will be a passing good man when he is of age, abid- 
ing with you the term of his life ; and if he adventure 
his body with yonder knight at the fountain, it is in 
great peril, if ever he come again, for he is one of the 
best knights of the world, and the strongest man of 
arms." "Well," said Arthur. So at the desire of 
Griflet, the king made him knight. 

"Now," said Arthur to Griflet, "since that I have 
made you knight, thou must give me a gift." "What 
ye will," said Griflet. "Thou shalt promise me, by 
the faith of thy body, when thou hast jousted with the 
knight at the fountain, whether it fall ye be on foot 
or on horseback, that right so ye shall come again 
unto me without making any more debate." "I will 
promise you," said Griflet, "as you desire." Then 
took Griflet his horse in great haste, and dressed his 
shield, and took a spear in his hand; and so he rode 
a great wallop till he came to the fountain, and there- 



44 KING ARTHUR 

by he saw a rich pavilion, and thereby, under a cloth, 
stood a fair horse, well saddled and bridled ; and, on 
a tree, a shield of divers colours, and a great spear. 
Then Griflet smote upon the shield with the butt of 
his spear, that the shield fell down to the ground. 
With that the knight came out of the pavilion, and 
said, "Fair knight, why smote ye down my shield?" 
"For I will joust with you," said Griflet. "It is bet- 
ter ye do not," said the knight, "for ye are but young, 
and late made knight, and your might is nothing to 
mine." "As for that," said Griflet, "I will joust 
with you." "That is me loth," said the knight, "but 
since I must needs, I will dress me thereto ; of whence 
be ye?" said the knight. "Sir, I am of Arthur's 
court." So the two knights ran together, that Griflet's 
spear all to-shivered, and therewithal he smote Griflet 
through the shield and the left side, and brake the 
spear, that the truncheon stuck in his body, that horse 
and knight fell down. 

XXIII. Then the knight saw him lie so on the 
ground, he alighted, and was passing heavy, for he 
weened he had slain him ; and then he unlaced his helm 
and got him wind. And so, with the truncheon, he 
set him on his horse, and betook him to God, and said, 
he had a mighty heart, and if he might live, he woidd 
prove a passing good knight. And so Sir Griflet 
rode to the court, where great dole was made for him; 
but through good leeches he was healed, and saved. 
Right so came into the court twelve knights, and were 
aged men, and they came from the Emperor of Rome, 
and they asked of Arthur truage for this realm, or 
else the emperor would destroy him and his land. 
" Well," said King Arthur, "ye are messengers, there- 
fore ye may say what ye will, or else ye should die 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 45 

therefore. But this is mine answer. I owe the em- 
peror no truage, nor none will I hold him ; but on a 
fair field I shall give him my truage, that shall be 
with a sharp spear, or else with a sharp sword, and 
that shall not be long, by my father's soul, Uther Pen- 
dragon." And therewith the messengers departed 
passingly wroth, and King Arthur as wroth, for in 
evil time came they then, for the king was passingly 
wroth for the hurt of Sir Griflet. And so he com- 
manded a privy man of his chamber, that, ere it be 
day, his best horse and armour, with all that longeth 
unto his person, that it be without the city ere to-mor- 
row day. Right so, ere to-morrow day, he met with 
his man and his horse, and so mounted up and dressed 
his shield, and took his spear, and bade his chamber- 
lain tarry there till he came again. 

And so Arthur rode a soft pace till it was day, and 
then was he ware of three churls chasing Merlin, 
and would have slain him. Then the king rode unto 
them, and bade them, "Flee, churls!" Then were 
they af eared when they saw a knight, and fled. "O 
Merlin! "said Arthur, "here hadst thou been slain 
for all thy craft had I not been." "Nay," said Mer- 
lin, "not so, for I could save myself, and I would, and 
thou art more near thy death than I am, for thou goest 
to the death ward, and God be not thy friend." So 
as they went thus talking, they came to the fountain, 
and the rich pavilion there by it. Then King Arthur 
was ware where sat a knight, armed, in a chair. "Sir 
knight," said Arthur, "for what cause abidest thou 
here, — that there may no knight ride this way but if he 
joust with thee?" said the king; "I rede thee leave 
that custom," said Arthur. "This custom," said the 
knight, "have I used, and will use, maugre who saith 



46 KING ARTHUR 

nay; and who is grieved with my custom let him amend 
it that will." "I will amend it," said Arthur. "I 
shall defend thee," said the knight. Anon he took 
his horse, and dressed his shield, and took a spear; 
and they met so hard, either in other's shield, that all 
to-shivered their spears. Therewith anon Arthur 
pulled out his sword. "Nay, not so," said the knight; 
" it is fairer," said the knight, " that we twain run more 
together with sharp spears." "I will well," said Ar- 
thur, "and I had any more spears." "I have enough," 
said the knight. So there came a squire and brought 
in good spears, and Arthur chose one, and he another; 
so they spurred their horses, and came together with 
all the mights, that either break their spears to their 
hands. Then Arthur set hand on his sword. "Nay," 
said the knight, " ye shall do better ; ye are a passing 
good j ouster as ever I met withal, and once for the 
love of the high order of knighthood let us joust once 
again." "I assent me," said Arthur. 

Anon there were brought two great spears, and 
every knight got a spear, and therewith they ran to- 
gether, that Arthur's spear all to-shivered. But the 
other knight hit him so hard in midst of the shield, 
that horse and man fell to the earth, and therewith 
Arthur was eager, and pulled out his sword, and said, 
"I will assay thee, sir knight, on foot, for I have lost 
the honour on horseback." "I will be on horseback," 
said the knight. Then was Arthur wroth, and dressed 
his shield toward him with his sword drawn. When 
the knight saw that, he alight, for him thought no 
worship to have a knight at such avail, he to be on 
horseback, and he on foot, and so he alight and dressed 
his shield unto Arthur, and there began a strong battle, 
with many great strokes, and so hewed with their 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 47 

swords, that the cantels flew in the fields, and much 
blood they bled both, that all the place thereas they 
fought was over-bled with blood, and thus they fought 
long, and rested them; and then they went to battle 
again, and so hurtled together like two rams, that 
either fell to the earth. So at the last they smote 
together, that both their swords met even together. 
But the sword of the knight smote King Arthur's 
sword in two pieces, wherefore he was heavy. Then 
said the knight unto Arthur, " Thou art in my danger, 
whether me list to save thee or slay thee, and but 
thou yield thee as overcome and recreant, thou shalt 
die." "As for death," said King Arthur, "welcome 
be it when it cometh, but to yield me to thee as re- 
creant, I had liefer die than to be so shamed." And 
therewithal the king leapt unto Pellinore, and took 
him by the middle, and threw him down, and razed off 
his helm. When the knight felt that, he was a dread, 
for he was passing big man of might; and anon he 
brought Arthur under him and razed off his helm, and 
would have smitten off his head. 

XXIV. Therewithal came Merlin and said, 
"Knight, hold thy hand, for, and thou slay that 
knight, thou puttest this realm in the greatest damage 
that ever was realm, for this knight is a man of more 
worship than thou wottest of." "Why, who is he?" 
said the knight. "It is King Arthur." Then would 
he have slain him for dread of his wrath, and heaved 
up his sword, and therewith Merlin cast an enchant- 
ment to the knight, that he fell to the earth in a great 
sleep. Then Merlin took up King Arthur, and rode 
forth on the knight's horse. "Alas! " said Arthur, 
"what hast thou done, Merlin? Hast thou slain this 
good knight by thy crafts? There lived not so wor- 



48 KING ARTHUR 

shipful a knight as he was. I had liefer than the stint 
of my land a year that he were alive." " Care ye not," 
said Merlin, "for he is wholer than ye, for he is 
but asleep, and will awake within three hours. I told 
you," said Merlin, "what a knight he was ; here had 
ye been slain had I not been. Also, there liveth not 
a better knight than he is one, and he shall hereafter 
do you right good service, and his name is Pellinore; 
and he shall have two sons that shall be passing good 
men; save one, they shall have no fellow of prowess 
and of good living, and their names shall be Percival 
of Wales, and Lamorack of Wales ; and he shall tell 
you the name of your own son that shall be the de- 
struction of all this realm." 

XXV. Right so the king and he departed, and 
went until an hermit that was a good man and a great 
leech. So the hermit searched all his wounds and 
gave good salves; so the king was there three days, 
and then were his wounds well amended that he might 
ride and go, and so departed. And as they rode Ar- 
thur said, "I have no sword." "No force," said 
Merlin, "hereby is a sword that shall be yours and I 
may." So they rode till they came to a lake, the 
which was a fair water and broad; and in the midst 
of the lake Arthur was aware of an arm clothed in 
white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand. 
"Lo," said Merlin, "yonder is the sword that I spake 
of." With that they saw a damsel going upon the 
lake. " What damsel is that ? " said Arthur. " That 
is the Lady of the Lake," said Merlin, "and within 
that lake is a rock, and therein is as fair a place as 
any is on earth, and richly beseen; and this damsel 
will come to you anon, and then speak ye fair to her 
that she will give you that sword." Anon withal 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 49 

came the damsel unto Arthur and saluted him, and he 
her again. "Damsel," said Arthur, "what sword is 
that, that yonder the arm holdeth above the water? 
I would it were mine, for I have no sword." "Sir 
Arthur, king," said the damsel, "that sword is mine, 
and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it you, ye 
shall have it." "By my faith," said Arthur, "I will 
give you what gift you will ask." "Well," said the 
damse}, "go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself 
to the sword, and take it and scabbard with you; and 
I will ask my gift when I see my time." So Sir Ar- 
thur and Merlin alight, and tied their horses to two 
trees, and so they went into the ship. And when they 
came to the sword that the hand held, Sir Arthur 
took it up by the handles, and took it with him, and 
the arm and the hand went under the water; and so 
came unto the land, and rode forth. 

[XXVI.] And then Sir Arthur saw a rich pavilion. 
" What signifieth yonder pavilion?" "That is the 
knight's pavilion," said Merlin, "that ye fought with 
last, Sir Pellinore, but he is out; he is not there. 
He hath ado with a knight of yours, that hight Eg- 
glame, and they have fought together, but at the last 
Egglame fled, and else he had been dead ; and he hath 
chased him even to Carlion, and we shall meet with 
him anon in the highway." "That is well said," said 
Arthur, "now have I a sword, and now will I wage 
battle with him, and be avenged on him." "Sir, ye 
shall not so," said Merlin, "for the knight is weary 
of fighting and chasing; so that ye shall have no wor- 
ship to have ado with him. Also he will not be lightly 
matched of one knight living, and therefore it is my 
counsel, let him pass ; for he shall do you good service 
in short time, and his sons after his days. Also ye 



50 KING ARTHUR 

shall see that day in short space, ye shall be right 
glad to give him your sister to wed." "When 1 see 
him, I will do as ye advise," said Arthur. Then Sir 
Arthur looked on the sword, and liked it passing 
well. "Whether liketh you better," said Merlin, 
"the sword or the scabbard? " "Me liketh better the 
sword," said Arthur. "Ye are more unwise," said 
Merlin, "for the scabbard is worth ten of the swords. 
For while ye have the scabbard upon you, ye shall 
never lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded; 
therefore keep well the scabbard alway with you." 

So they rode unto Carlion, and by the way they met 
with Sir Pellinore; but Merlin had done such a craft, 
that Pellinore saw not Arthur, and he passed by with- 
out any words. "I marvel," said Arthur, "that the 
knight would not speak." "Sir," said Merlin, "he 
saw you not ; for, and he had seen you, he had not 
lightly departed." So they came unto Carlion, whereof 
his knights were passing glad; and when they heard 
of his adventures, they marvelled that he would jeopard 
his person so alone. But all men of worship said it 
was merry to be under such a chieftain, that would 
put his person in adventure as other poor knights did. 

XXVII. This meanwhile came a messenger from 
King Rions of North Wales, and king he was of all 
Ireland, and of many isles, and this was his message, 
greeting well King Arthur in this manner wise, say- 
ing, that King Rions had discomfited and overcome 
eleven kings, and every each of them did him homage ; 
and that was this — they gave him their beards clean 
flayed off as much as there was, wherefore the mes- 
senger came for King Arthur's beard. For King Rions 
had purfled a mantle with kings' beards, and there 
lacked one place of the mantle, wherefore he sent for 



THE BOOK OF MERLIN 51 

his beard, or else he would enter into his lands, and 
burn and slay, and never leave till he have the head 
and the beard. "Well," said Arthur, "thou hast 
said thy message, the which is the most villanous and 
lewdest message that ever man heard sent unto a king. 
Also thou mayest see my beard is full young yet to 
make a purfle of it, but tell thou thy king this : I owe 
him no homage, nor none of mine elders, but, ere it 
be long, he shall do me homage on both his knees, or 
else he shall lose his head, by the faith of my body; 
for this is the most shamefullest message that ever I 
heard speak of. I have espied thy king met never yet 
with worshipful man; but tell him I will have his 
head without he do me homage." Then the messen- 
ger departed. "Now is there any here," said Arthur, 
"that knoweth King Eions?" Then answered a 
knight, that hight Naram, "Sir, I know the king well; 
he is a passing good man of his body, as few be liv- 
ing, and a passing proud man; and, sir, doubt ye not, 
he will make war on you with a mighty puissance." 
"Well," said Arthur, "I shall ordain for him in short 
time." 

XXVIII. Then King Arthur let send for all the 
children that were born on May-day, begotten of lords, 
and born of ladies. For Merlin told King Arthur 
that he that should destroy him should be born in 
May-day; wherefore he sent for them all, upon pain 
of death. And so there were found many lords' sons, 
and all were sent unto the king; and so was Mordred 
sent by King Lot's wife, and all were put in a ship 
to the sea, and some were four weeks old, and some 
less. And so, by fortune, the ship drove unto a cas- 
tle, and was all to-riven and destroyed, the most part, 
save that Mordred was cast up, and a good man found 



52 KING ARTHUR 

him, and nourished him till he was fourteen years old, 
and then he brought him to the court, as it rehearsed 
afterward, toward the end, of the death of Arthur. 
So many lords and barons of this realm were dis- 
pleased, for their children were so lost; and many put 
the wit on Merlin, more than on Arthur. So, what 
for dread, and for love, they held their peace. But 
when the messenger came to King Rions, then was he 
wood out of measure, and purveyed him for a great 
host, as it rehearsed after in the Book of Balin le 
Saveage, that followeth next after, how by adventure 
Balin got the sword. 



BOOK II 
THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 

I. After the death of King Uther Pendragon 
reigned Arthur his son, the which had great wars in 
his days, for to get all England into his hand; for 
there were many kings within the realm of England, 
and in Wales, Scotland, and in Cornwall. So it be- 
fell on a time, when King Arthur was at London, 
there came a knight and told the king tidings how 
that the king Rions of North Wales had reared a 
great number of people, and were entered into the 
land, and burnt and slew the king's true liege people. 
"If this be true," said Arthur, "it were great shame 
unto mine estate, but that he were mightily withstood. " 
"It is truth," said the knight, "for I saw the host 
myself." "Well," said the king, "let make a cry: " 
that all the lords, knights, and gentlemen of arms, 
should draw unto a castle, called Camelot in those 
days, and there the king would let make a council 
general, and a great joust. 

So when the king was come thither, with all his 
baronage, and lodged as they seemed best, there was 
come a damsel, the which was sent on message from 
the great Lady Lylle of Avelion; and, when she came 
before King Arthur, she told from whom she came, 
and how she was sent on message unto him for these 
causes. Then she let her mantle fall, that was richly 
furred, and then was she girt with a noble sword, 



54 KING ARTHUR 

whereof the king had marvel, and said, " Damsel, for 
what cause are ye girt with that sword ? It beseemeth 
you not." "Now shall I tell you," said the damsel; 
"this sword, that I am girt withal, doth me great 
sorrow and cumbrance, for I may not be delivered 
of this sword but by a knight, but he must be a pass- 
ing good man of his hands, and of his deeds, and 
without villany or treachery and without treason. If 
I may find such a knight that hath all these virtues, 
he may draw out this sword out of the sheath. For 
I have been at King Rions; it was told me, there were 
passing good knights, and he and all his knights have 
assayed it, and none can speed." 

"This is a great marvel," said Arthur, "if this be 
sooth. I will myself assay to draw out the sword, not 
presuming upon myself that I am the best knight, but 
that I will begin to draw at your sword, in giving ex- 
ample to all the barons, that they shall assay every 
one after other, when I have assayed it." Then Ar- 
thur took the sword by the sheath and by the girdle, 
and pulled at it eagerly, but the sword would not out. 
"Sir," said the damsel, "ye need not to pull half so 
hard; for he that shall pull it out shall do it with little 
might." "Ye say well," said Arthur; "now assa} r 
ye, all my barons; but beware ye be not defiled with 
shame, treachery, nor guile." "Then it will not 
avail," said the damsel; "for he must be a clean 
knight, without villany, and of a gentle strene of fa- 
ther's side and mother's side." Most of all the bar- 
ons of the Round Table, that were there at that time, 
assayed all by rowe, but there might none speed. 
Wherefore the damsel made great sorrow out of mea- 
sure, and said, "Alas! I weened in this court had 
been the best knights, without treachery or treason." 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 55 

"By my faith," said Arthur, "here are good knights 
as I deem as any be in the world; but their grace is 
not to help you, wherefore I am displeased." 

II. Then fell it so, that time, that there was a 
poor knight with King Arthur, that had been prisoner 
with him half a year and more for slaying of a knight, 
the which was cousin to King Arthur. The name of 
this knight was called Balin, and by good means of 
the barons he was delivered out of prison; for he was 
a good man named of his body, and he was born in 
Northumberland. And so he went privily into the 
court and saw this adventure, whereof it raised his 
heart, and would assay it as other knights did; but 
for he was poor, and poorly arrayed, he put him not 
far in press. But in his heart he was fully assured 
to do as well, if his grace happed him, as any knight 
that there was. And, as the damsel took her leave of 
Arthur and all the barons, so departing, this knight, 
Balin, called unto her, and said, "Damsel, I pray you, 
of your courtesy, suffer me as well to assay as these 
lords; though that I be so poorly clothed, in my heart 
me seemeth I am fully assured as some of these other, 
and me seemeth in my heart to speed right well." 
The damsel beheld the poor knight, and saw he was a 
likely man ; but, for his poor arrayment, she thought he 
should be of no worship without villany or treachery. 
And then she said unto the knight, "Sir, it needeth 
not to put me to more pain or labour, for it seemeth 
not you to speed, thereas other have failed." "Ah! 
fair damsel," said Balin, "worthiness and good tatches 
and good deeds are not only in arrayment, but man- 
hood and worship is hid within man's person; and 
many a worshipful knight is not known unto all peo- 
ple ; and therefore worship and hardiness is not in 



56 KING ARTHUR 

arrayment." "By God!" said the damsel, "ye say 
sooth; therefore ye shall assay to do what ye may." 

Then Balin took the sword by the girdle and sheath, 
and drew it out easily; and when he looked on the 
sword, it pleased him much. Then had the king and 
all the barons great marvel, that Balin had done that 
adventure; many knights had great despite of Balin. 
"Certes," said the damsel, "this is a passing good 
knight, and the best that ever I found, and most of 
worship, without treason, treachery, or villany, and 
many marvels shall he do. Now, gentle and courteous 
knight, give me the sword again." "Nay," said 
Balin, "for this sword will I keep, but it be taken 
from me with force." "Well," said the damsel, "ye 
are not wise to keep the sword from me, for ye 
shall slay with the sword the best friend that ye 
have, and the man that ye most love in the world, 
and the sword shall be your destruction." "I shall 
take the adventure," said Balin, "that God will or- 
dain me, but the sword ye shall not have at this time, 
by the faith of my body." "Ye shall repent it within 
short time," said the damsel, "for I would have the 
sword more for your avail than for mine, for I am 
passing heavy for your sake ; for ye will not believe 
that sword shall be your destruction, and that is great 
pity." With that the damsel departed, making great 
sorrow. 

Anon, after, Balin sent for his horse and armor, 
and so would depart from the court, and took his 
leave of King Arthur. "Nay," said the king, "I sup- 
pose ye will not depart so lightly from this fellow- 
ship. I suppose ye are displeased, that I have showed 
you unkindness; blame me the less, for I was misin- 
formed against you. But I weened ye had not been 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 57 

such a knight as ye are of worship and prowess; and 
if ye will abide in this court among my fellowship I 
shall so advance you, as ye shall be pleased." "God 
thank your highness," said Balin; "your bounty and 
highness may no man praise half to the value; but 
at this time I must needs depart, beseeching you al- 
way of your good grace." "Truly," said the king, 
"I am right wroth for your departing; I pray you, 
fair knight, that ye tarry not long, and ye shall be 
right welcome to me and to my barons, and 1 shall 
amend all amiss that I have done against you. " " God 
thank your great lordship," said Balin, and therewith 
made him ready to depart. Then the most part of the 
knights of the Round Table said that Balin did not 
this adventure all only by might, but by witchcraft. 
III. The meanwhile that this knight was making 
him ready to depart, there came into the court a lady, 
which Light the Lady of the Lake, and she came on 
horseback richly beseen, and saluted King Arthur, 
and there she asked him a gift that he promised her 
when she gave him the sword. "That is sooth," said 
Arthur; "a gift I promised you; but I have forgot- 
ten the name of my sword that ye gave me." "The 
name of it," said the lady, "is Excalibur, that is as 
much to say as 'cut-steel.'' "Ye say well," said 
the king; "ask what ye will, and ye shall have it, 
and it lie in my power to give it." "Well," said the 
lady, "I ask the head of the knight that hath won 
the sword, or else the damsel's head that brought it; 
I take no force though I have both their heads, for 
he slew my brother, a good knight and a true, and 
that gentlewoman was causer of my father's death." 
"Truly," said King Arthur, "I may not grant neither 
of their heads with my worship; therefore ask what 



58 KING ARTHUR 

ye will else, and I shall fulfil your desire." "I will 
ask none other thing," said the lady. 

When Balin was ready to depart, he saw the Lady 
of the Lake, that by her means had slain Balin 's mo- 
ther, and he had sought her three years. And when 
it was told him that she asked his head of King Ar- 
thur, he went to her straight and said, "Evil be you 
found, ye would have my head, and therefore ye shall 
lose yours; " and with his sword lightly he smote off 
her head before King Arthur. "Alas! for shame," 
said Arthur; "why have you done so? Ye have 
shamed me and all my court, for this was a lady that 
I was beholden to, and hither she came under my safe 
conduct. I shall never forgive you that trespass." 
"Sir," said Balin, "me forthinketh of your displea- 
sure, for this same lady was the untruest lady living; 
and by enchantment and sorcery she hath been the 
destroyer of many good knights, and she was causer 
that my mother was burnt through her falsehood and 
treachery." "What cause soever ye had," said Ar- 
thur, "ye should have forborne her in my presence; 
therefore think not the contrary, ye shall repent it, 
for such another despite had I never in my court 
afore. Therefore withdraw you out of my court in all 
the haste that ye may." Then Balin took up the head 
of the lady, and bare it with him to his hostry, and 
there he met with his squire, that was sorry he had 
displeased King Arthur; and so they rode forth out 
of the town. "Now," said Balin, "wa must depart; 
take thou this head and bear it to my friends, and 
tell them how I have sped, and tell my friends in 
Northumberland that my most foe is dead ; also tell 
them how I am out of prison, and what adventure befell 
me at the getting of this sword." "Alas," said the 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN . 59 

squire, "ye are greatly to blame for to displease King 
Arthur." "As for that," said Balin, "I will hie me 
with all the haste that I may to meet with Rions, and 
destroy him, either else or die therefore; and if it may 
hap me to win him, then will King- Arthur be my good 
and gracious lord." " Where shall I meet with you ? " 
said the squire. "In King Arthur's court," said 
Balin. So his squire and he departed at that time. 
Then' King Arthur and all the court made great dole, 
and had shame of the death of the Lady of the Lake. 
Then the king buried her richly. 

IV. At that time there was a knight the which was 
the king's son of Ireland, and his name was Launceor; 
the which was an orgulous knight, and counted himself 
one of the best of the court, and he had great despite at 
Balin for the achieving of the sword, that any should 
be accounted more of prowess ; and he asked King Ar- 
thur, if he would give him leave to ride after Balin, and 
to revenge the despite that he had done. "Do your 
best," said Arthur; "I am right wroth' with Balin; I 
would he were quit of the despite that he hath done to 
me and to my court." Then this Launceor went to 
his hostry to make him ready : in the meanwhile came 
Merlin unto the court of King Arthur and there was 
told him the adventure of the sword, and . the death 
of the Lady of the Lake. "Now shall I say you ;" 
said Merlin, "this same damsel that here standeth, 
that brought the sword unto your court, I shall tell you 
the cause of her coming. She was the falsest damsel 
that liveth." "Say not so," said they; "she hath a 
brother, a passing good knight of prowess, and a full 
true man ; and this damsel loved another knight, and 
this good knight, her brother, met with the knight 
that had her love, and slew him by force of his hands. 



60 KING ARTHUR 

When this false damsel understood this, she went to 
the Lady Lylle of Avelion, and besought her of help 
to be avenged on her own brother. 

7 Y. "And so this Lady Lylle of Avelion took her 
^this sword, that she brought with her, and told there 
should no man pull it out of the sheath, but if he be 
one of the best knights of this realm, and he should 
be hard and full of prowess, and with that sword 
he should slay her brother. This was the cause that 
the damsel came into this court." "I know it as 
well as ye," [said Merlin]; "would God she had not 
come into this court, but she came never in fellow- 
ship of worship to do good, but always great harm, 
and that knight that hath achieved the sword shall 
be destroyed by that sword; for the which will be 
great damage, for there liveth not a knight of more 
prowess than he is, and he shall do unto you, my lord 
Arthur, great honour and kindness; and it is great 
pity he shall not endure but a while, for of his strength 
and hardiness, I know not his match living." So the 
knight of Ireland armed him at all points, and dressed 
his shield on his shoulder, and mounted upon horse- 
back, and took his spear in his hand, and rode after 
a great pace as much as his horse might go, and 
within a little space on a mountain he had a sight of 
Balin, and with a loud voice he cried, "Abide, knight, 
for ye shall abide, whether ye will or nill, and the 
shield that is tofore you shall not help." When Ba- 
lin heard the noise, he turned his horse fiercely, and 
said, "Fair knight, what will ye with me ; will ye 
joust with me? " "Yea," said the Irish knight, "there- 
fore come I after you." " Peradventure," said Balin, 
"it had been better to have held you at home; for 
many a man weeneth to put his enemy to a rebuke, 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 61 

and oft it falleth to himself. Of what court be ye 
sent from? " said Balin. "I am come from the court 
of King Arthur," said the knight of Ireland, "that 
come hither for to revenge the despite ye did this day 
to King Arthur and to his court." 

"Well," said Balin, "I see well I must have ado 
with you, that me forthinketh for to grieve King Ar- 
thur, or any of his court; and your quarrel is full sim- 
ple, v said Balin, "unto me, for the lady that is dead 
did me great damage, and else would I have been loath 
as any knight that liveth for to slay a lady." "Make 
you ready," said the knight Launceor, "and dress 
you unto me, for that one shall abide in the field." 
Then they took their spears, and came together as much 
as their horses might drive, and the Irish knight smote 
Balin on the shield, that all went shivers of his spear. 
And Balin hit him through the shield, and the hauberk 
perished, and so pierced through his body and the 
horse's croup, and anon turned his horse fiercely, and 
drew out his sword, and wist not that he had slain 
him, and then he saw him lie as a dead corpse. 

VI. Then he looked by him, and was ware of a dam- 
sel that came ride full fast as the horse might ride 
on a fair palfrey. And when she espied that Laun- 
ceor was slain, she made sorrow out of measure, and 
said, " O Balin ! two bodies thou hast slain and one 
heart, and two hearts in one body, and two souls thou 
hast lost." And therewith she took the sword from 
her love that lay dead, and fell to the ground in a 
swoon. And when she arose, she made great dole 
out of measure, the which sorrow grieved Balin pass- 
ingly sore, and went unto her for to have taken the 
sword out of her hand, but she held it so fast, he 
might not take it out of her hand, unless he should 



62 KING ARTHUR 

have hurt her, and suddenly she set the pommel to 
the ground, and rove herself through the body. 

And when Balin espied her deeds, he was passing 
heavy in his heart, and ashamed that so fair a dam- 
sel had destroyed herself for the love of his death. 
"Alas! " said Balin, "me repenteth sore the death of 
this knight, for the love of this damsel; for there was 
much true love betwixt them both." And for sorrow 
he might not longer behold them, but turned his horse 
and looked toward a great forest, and there he was 
ware, by the arms, of his brother Balan; and when 
they were met, they put off their helms and kissed to- 
gether, and wept for joy and pity. Then Balan 
said, "I little weened to have met with you at this 
sudden adventure; I am right glad of your deliverance 
out of your dolorous prisonment, for a man told me 
in the Castle of Fourstones that ye were delivered, 
and that man had seen you in the court of King Ar- 
thur, and therefore I came hither into this country, 
for here I supposed to find you." 

Anon the knight Balin told his brother of his adven- 
ture of the sword, and of the death of the Lady of the 
Lake, and how King Arthur was displeased with him, 
" wherefore he sent this knight after me that lieth here 
dead, and the death of this damsel grieveth me full 
sore." "So doth it me," said Balan; "but ye must 
take the adventure that God will ordain you." 
"Truly," said Balin, "I am right heavy that my lord 
Arthur is displeased with me, for he is the most wor- 
shipful knight that reigneth now on earth, and his 
love will I get, or else I will put my life in adventure ; 
for the King Rions lieth at a siege at castle Tarabil, 
and thither will we draw, in all haste, to prove our 
worship and prowess upon him." "I will well," said 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 63 

Balan, "that we do, and we will help each other as 
brethren ought to do." 

VII. "Now go we hence," said Balin, "and well 
be we met." The meanwhile as they talked, there 
came a dwarf from the city of Camelot on horseback, 
as much as he might, and found the dead bodies ; 
wherefore he made great dole, and pulled out his hair 
for sorrow, and said, " Which of you knights have 
clone <this deed?" "Whereby askest thou it?" said 
Balan. "For I would wit it," said the dwarf. "It 
was I," said Balin, "that slew this knight in my de- 
fence, for hither he came to chase me, and either I 
must slay him or he me; and this damsel slew herself 
for his love, which repenteth me, and for her sake I 
shall owe all women the better love." "Alas! " said 
the dwarf, "thou hast done great damage unto thyself; 
for this knight, that is here dead, was one of the most 
valiant men that lived, and trust well, Balin, the kin 
of this knight will chase you through the world till 
they have slain you." "As for that," said Balin, "I 
fear not greatly; but I am right heavy that I have 
displeased my lord, King Arthur, for the death of this 
knight." 

So, as they talked together, there came a king of 
Cornwall riding, the which hight King Mark. And 
when he saw these two bodies dead, and understood 
how they were dead by the two knights abovesaid, 
then made the king great sorrow for the true love that 
was betwixt them, and said, "I will not depart till 
I have on this earth made a tomb." And there he 
pitched his pavilions, and sought through all the coun- 
try to find a tomb. And in a church they found one 
was fair and rich, and then the king let put them both 
in the earth, and put the tomb upon them, and wrote 



64 KING ARTHUR 

the names of them on the tomb, how here lieth Laun- 
ceor, the king's son of Ireland, that at his own request 
was slain by the hands of Balin; and how his lady 
Colombe slew herself with her love's sword for dole 
and sorrow. 

VIII. The meanwhile as this was a-doing, in came 
Merlin to King Mark, [and,] seeing all his doing, said, 
"Here shall be in this same place the greatest battle 
betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be, and the 
truest lovers, and yet none of them shall slay other." 
And there Merlin wrote their names upon the tomb with 
letters of gold, that should fight in that place, whose 
names were Launcelot de Lake, and Tristram. "Thou 
art a marvellous man," said King Mark unto Merlin, 
"that speakest of such marvels; thou art a boistous 
man, and an unlikely, to tell of such deeds. What is 
thy name?" said King Mark. "At this time," said 
Merlin, "I will not tell ; but at that time when Sir 
Tristram is taken with his sovereign lady, then ye 
shall hear and know my name, and at that time ye 
shall hear tidings that shall not please you. Then," 
said Merlin to Balin, "thou hast done thyself great 
hurt, because that thou savest not this lady that slew 
herself, that might have saved her if thou wouldest." 
"By the faith of my body," said Balin, "I might not 
save her, for she slew herself suddenly." "Me re- 
pen teth," said Merlin; "because of the death of that 
lady. Thou shalt strike a stroke most dolorous that 
ever man stroke, except the stroke of our Lord; for 
thou shalt hurt the truest knight, and the man of most 
worship, that now liveth, and through that stroke three 
kingdoms shall be in great poverty, misery, and 
wretchedness twelve year, and the knight shall not 
be whole of that wound many years." Then Merlin 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN C5 

took his leave of Balin. And Balin said, "If I wist 
it were sooth that ye say, I should do such perilous 
deed as that I would slay myself to make thee a liar." 
Therewith Merlin vanished away suddenly. 

And then Balin and his brother took their leave of 
King Mark. "First," said the king, "tell me your 
name." "Sir," said Balan, "ye may see he beareth 
two swords ; thereby ye may call him the Knight with 
the Two Swords." And so departed King Mark unto 
Camelot to King Arthur; and Balin took the way 
toward King Rions, and as they rode together they 
met with Merlin disguised, but they knew him not. 
"Whither ride you? " said Merlin. "We have little 
to do," said the two knights, "to tell thee." "But 
what is thy name?" said Balan. "At this time," said 
Merlin, "I will not tell it thee." "It is evil seen," 
said the knights, "that thou art a true man, that thou 
wilt not tell thy name." "As for that," said Merlin, 
"be it as it may, I can tell you wherefore ye ride this 
way; for to meet King Rions, but it will not avail 
you, without ye have my counsel." "Ah! " said Ba- 
lin, "ye are Merlin; we will be ruled by your coun- 
sel." "Come on," said Merlin; "ye shall have great 
worship, and look that ye do knightly; for ye shall 
have great need." "As for that," said Balin, "dread 
ye not; we will do what we may." 

IX. Then Merlin lodged them in a wood amongst 
leaves, beside the highway, and took off the bridles 
of their horses, and put them to grass, and laid them 
down to rest them till it was nigh midnight. Then 
Merlin bade them rise and make them ready, for the 
kins: was nigh them, that was stolen awav from his 
host, with a threescore horses of his best knights; 
and twenty of them rode before to warn the Lady de 



66 KING ARTHUR 

Vance that the king was coming, for that night King 
Rions should lodge with her. "Which is the king?" 
said Balin. "Abide," said Merlin ; "here in a straight 
way ye shall meet with him. " And therewith he showed 
Balin and his brother where he rode. Anon Balin 
and his brother met with the king, and smote him 
down, and wounded him fiercely, and laid him to the 
ground ; and there they slew on the right hand and on 
the left hand, and slew more than forty of his men, 
and the remnant fled. Then went they again to King 
Rions, and would have slain him, had he not yielded 
him unto their grace. Then said he thus, "Knights, 
full prowess, slay me not ; for by my life ye may win, 
and by my death ye shall win nothing." Then said 
these two knights, "Ye say sooth and truth," and so 
laid him on an horse-litter. 

With that Merlin was vanished, and came to King 
Arthur aforehand, and told him how his most enemy 
was taken and discomfited. "By whom?" said King 
Arthur. "By two knights," said Merlin, "that would 
please your lordship, and to-morrow ye shall know 
what knights they are." Anon, after, came the 
Knight with the Two Swords, and Balan, his brother, 
and brought with them King Rions of North Wales, 
and there delivered him to the porters, and charged 
them with him, and so they two returned again in the 
dawning of the day. King Arthur came then to King 
Rions and said, "Sir king, ye are welcome; by what 
adventure came ye hither? " "Sir," said King Rions, 
"I came hither by an hard adventure." "Who won 
you ? " said King Arthur. " Sir," said the king, "the 
Knight with the Two Swords and his brother, which 
are two marvellous knights of prowess." "I know 
them not," said Arthur; "but much I am beholding to 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 67 

them." "Ah!" said Merlin, "I shall tell you it is 
Balin that achieved the sword, and his brother, Balan, 
a good knight ; there liveth not a better of prowess 
and of worthiness, and it shall be the greatest dole of 
him that ever 1 knew of knight, for he shall not long 
endure." "Alas!" said King Arthur, " that is great 
pity; for I am much beholding unto him, and I have 
ill deserved it unto him for his kindness." "Nay," 
said Merlin, "he shall do much more for you, and 
that shall ye know in haste. But, sir, are ye pur- 
veyed? " said Merlin ; "for to-morn the host of Nero, 
King Rions's brother, will set on you ere noon with a 
great host, and therefore make you ready, for I will 
depart from you." 

X. Then King Arthur made ready his host in ten 
battles; and Nero was ready in the field, afore the 
Castle Tarabil, with a great host; and he had ten 
battles, with many more people than Arthur had. 
Then Nero had the vanguard with the most party of 
his people, and Merlin came to King Lot of the Isle 
of the Orkney, and held him with a tale of prophecy, 
till Nero and his people were destroyed. And there 
Sir Kaye, the seneschal, did passingly well, that the 
days of his life the worship went never from him; 
and Sir Hervis de Revel did marvellous deeds with 
King Arthur. And King Arthur slew that day 
twenty knights, and maimed forty. At that time 
came in the Knight with the Two Swords, and his 
brother, Balan ; but they two did so marvellously, 
that the king and all the knights marvelled of them, 
and all that beheld them said, that they were sent 
from heaven as angels, or devils from hell; and King 
Arthur said himself, that they were the best knights 
that ever he saw ; for they gave such strokes that all 



68 KING ARTHUR 

men had wonder of them. In the meanwhile came 
one to King Lot and told him, while he tarried there, 
Nero was destroyed and slain with all his people. 
"Alas!" said King Lot, "I am ashamed, for, by 
my default, there is many a worshipful man slain; 
for, and we had been together, there had been none 
host under heaven that had been able for to have 
matched with us. This faitor, with his prophecy, hath 
mocked me." All that did Merlin; for he knew well 
that, and King Lot had been with his body there at 
the first battle, King Arthur had been slain and all 
his people destroyed. And well Merlin knew that one 
of the kings should be dead that day, and loth was 
Merlin that any of them both should be slain; but of 
the twain he had liefer King Lot had been slain than 
King Arthur. 

"Now what is best to do? " said King Lot of Ork- 
ney, "whether is me better for to treat with King 
Arthur, or to fight, for the greater party of our peo- 
ple are slain and destroyed? " "Sir," said a knight, 
"set on Arthur; for they are weary and forfoughten, 
and we be fresh." "As for me," said King Lot, "I 
would that every knight would do his part as I will do 
mine." And then they advanced banners, and smote 
together, and all to-shivered their spears; and Arthur's 
knights, with the help of the Knight of the Two 
Swords, and his brother, Balan, put King Lot and his 
host to the worse. But always King Lot held him in 
the foremost front, and did marvellous deeds of arms; 
for all his host was borne up by his hands, for he 
abode all knights. Alas! he might not endure, the 
which was great pity that so worthy a knight as he was 
should be overmatched, that of late time afore had 
been a knight of King Arthur's, and wedded the sis- 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 69 

ter of King Arthur. And there was there a knight, 
that was called the Knight with the Strange Beast, and 
at that time his right name was called Pellinore, the 
which was a good man of prowess; and he smote a 
mighty stroke at King Lot as he fought with all his 
enemies, and he failed of his stroke, and smote the 
horse's neck, that he fell to the ground with King 
Lot. And therewith anon Pellinore smote him a 
great stroke through the helm and head unto the 
brows ; and then all the host of Orkney fled for the 
death of King Lot, and there was slain many mother's 
sons. But King Pellinore bare the wit of the death of 
King Lot; wherefore Sir Gawaine revenged the death 
of his father the tenth year after he was made knight, 
and slew King Pellinore with his own hands. Also 
there was slain at that battle twelve kings on the side 
of King Lot with Nero, and all were buried in the 
church of St. Steven's in Camelot; and the remnant 
of knights, and of other, were buried in a great rock. 
XI. So, at the interment, came King Lot's wife, 
Morgause, with her four sons, Gawaine, Agravaine, 
Gaheris, and Gareth. Also there came thither King 
Uriens, Sir Ewaine's father, and Morgan le Pay, his 
wife, that was King Arthur's sister; all these came 
to the interment. But of all these twelve kings, King 
Arthur let make the tomb of King Lot passing richly, 
and made his tomb by his own. And then King Ar- 
thur let make twelve images of laton and copper, and 
overgilt it with gold, in the sign of twelve kings ; and 
each one of them held a taper of wax, that burnt day 
and night. And King Arthur was made m sign of 
a figure standing above them, with a sword drawn in 
his hand ; and all the twelve figures had countenances 
like unto men that were overcome. All this made 



70 KING ARTHUR 

Merlin by his subtle craft, and there he told the king, 
"When I am dead these tapers shall burn no longer; 
and, soon after, the adventures of the Saint Grail 
shall come among you, and be achieved." Also he told 
Arthur, how Balin, the worshipful knight, shall give 
the dolorous stroke, whereof shall fall great vengeance. 
"Oh, where is Balin, and Balan, and Pellinore? " said 
King Arthur. 

"As for Pellinore," said Merlin, "he will meet 
with you soon ; and as for Balin he will not be long 
from you. But the other brother will depart; ye shall 
see him no more." "By my faith," said Arthur, 
"they are two marvellous knights, and namely Balin 
passeth of prowess of any knight that ever I found ; 
for much beholding I am unto him. Would God he 
would abide with me." "Sir," said Merlin, "look ye 
keep well the scabbard of Excalibur; for ye shall 
lose no blood while ye have the scabbard upon you, 
though ye have as many wounds upon you as ye may 
have." So after, for great trust, Arthur betook the 
scabbard to Morgan le Fay, his sister; and she loved 
another knight better than her husband, King Uriens, 
or King Arthur. And she would have had Arthur, 
her brother, slain. And, therefore, she let make an- 
other scabbard like it by enchantment, and gave the 
scabbard [of] Excalibur to her love, and the knight's 
name was called Accolon, that after had near slain 
King Arthur. After this Merlin told unto King Ar- 
thur of the prophecy that there should be a great bat- 
tle beside Salisbury, and Mordred, his own son, should 
be against him. Also he told him, that Basdemegus 
was his cousin, and german unto King Uriens. 

XII. Within a day or two King Arthur was some- 
what sick, and he let pitch his pavilion in a meadow, 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 71 

and there he laid him down on a pallet to sleep, but 
he might have no rest. Right so he heard a great 
noise of an horse ; and therewith the king looked out 
at the porch of the pavilion, and saw a knight coming 
even by him making great dole. "Abide, fair sir," 
said Arthur, "and tell me wherefore thou makest 
this sorrow." "Ye may little amend me," said the 
knight, and so passed forth to the castle of Meliot. 
Anon after there came Balin ; and, when he saw King 
Arthur, anon he alighted off his horse, and came to 
the king on foot, and saluted him. "By my head," 
said Arthur, "ye be welcome, Sir. Right now came 
riding this way a knight making great mourn, for 
what cause I cannot tell; wherefore, I would desire 
you, of your courtesy and of your gentleness, to fetch 
again that knight either by force or else by his good 
will." "I will do more for your lordship than that," 
said Balin, and so he rode more than a pace, and 
found the knight with a damsel in a forest, and said, 
"Sir knight, ye must come with me unto King Ar- 
thur, for to tell him of your sorrow." "That will I 
not," said the knight; "for it will scathe me greatly, 
and now do you none avail." "Sir," said Balin, "I 
pray you make you ready; for ye must go with me, 
or else I must fight with you, and bring you by force, 
and that were me loth to do." "Will ye be my war- 
rant, ' ' said the knight, " and I go with you ? " " Yea, ' ' 
said Balin, "or else I will die therefore." And so he 
made him ready to go with Balin, and left the damsel 
still. And, as they were even afore King Arthur's 
pavilion, there came one invisible, and smote this 
knight that went with Balin throughout the body 
with a spear. 

"Alas! " said the knight, "I am slain under your 



72 KING ARTHUR 

conduct with a knight called Garlon ; therefore take 
my horse, that is better than yours, and ride to the 
damsel, and follow the quest that I was in, as she will 
lead you, and revenge my death when ye may." " That 
shall I do," said Balin, "and that I make a vow unto 
knighthood." And so he departed from this knight 
with great sorrow. So King Arthur let bury this 
knight richly, and made a mention on the tomb how 
there was slain Herleus le Berbeus, and by whom the 
treachery was done, the knight Garlon. But ever the 
damsel bare the truncheon of the spear with her that 
Sir Herleus was slain withal. 

XIII. So Balin and the damsel rode into a forest, 
and there met with a knight that had been a-hunt- 
ing; and that knight asked Balin for what cause he 
made so great sorrow. u Me list not to tell you," 
said Balin. "Now," said the knight, "and I were 
armed as ye be, I would fight with you." "That 
should little need," said Balin; "I am not af eared to 
tell you;" and told him all the cause how it was. 
"Ah!" said the knight, "is this all? Here I ensure 
you, by the faith of my body, never to depart from 
you as long as my life lasteth." 

And so they went to the hostry and armed them, 
and so rode forth with Balin; and as they came by 
an hermitage, even by a churchyard, there came the 
knight Garlon invisible, and smote this knight, Perin 
de Mountbeliard, through the body with a spear. 
"Alas! " said the knight, "I am slain by this traitor 
knight that rideth invisible." "Alas!" said Balin, 
"it is not the first despite that he hath done me." 
And there the hermit and Balin buried the knight 
under a rich stone and a tomb royal; and, on the 
morn, they found letters of gold written, how Sir 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 73 

Gawaine shall revenge his father's death, King Lot, 
on the King Pellinore. 

Anon, after this, Balin and the damsel rode till they 
came to a castle ; and there Balin alighted, and he and 
the damsel weened to go into the castle. And anon, 
as Balin came within the castle's gate, the portcullis 
fell down at his back ; and there fell many men about 
the damsel, and would have slain her. When Balin 
saw that, he was sore aggrieved, for he might not help 
the damsel ; then he went up into the tower, and leaped 
over walls into the ditch, and hurt him not. And 
anon he pulled out his sword, and would have fought 
with them. And they all said nay, they would not 
fight with him, for they did nothing but the old cus- 
tom of the castle, and told him how their lady was 
sick, and had lain many years, and she might not be 
whole, but if she had a silver dish full of blood of a 
clean maid and a king's daughter, "and, therefore, the 
custom of this castle is, there shall no damsel pass 
this way but she shall bleed of her blood a silver dish 
full." " Well," said Balin, "she shall bleed as much 
as she may bleed; but I will not lose the life of her 
while my life lasteth." And so Balin made her 
to bleed by her good will; but her blood helped not the 
lady. And so he and she rested there all night, and 
had there right good cheer; and, on the morn, they 
passed on their way. And as it telleth after, in the 
Saint Grail, that Sir Percival's sister helped that lady 
with her blood, whereof she was dead. 

XIV. Then they rode three or four days, and never 
met with adventure; and by hap they were lodged 
with a gentleman that was a rich man, and well at 
ease. And, as they sat at their supper, Balin heard 
one complain grievously by him in a chair. "What 



74 KING ARTHUR 

is this noise?" said Balin. "Forsooth," said his 
host, "I will tell you. I was but late at a jousting, 
and there I jousted with a knight, that is brother 
unto King Pellam, and twice smote I him down; and 
then he promised to quit me on my best friend, and 
so he wounded my son, that cannot be whole till I have 
of that knight's blood : and he rideth always invisible, 
but I know not his name." "Ah!" said Balin, "I 
know that knight, his name is Garlon ; he hath slain 
two knights of mine in the same manner, therefore 1 
had liefer meet with that knight than all the gold in 
this realm, for the despite he hath done me." "Well," 
said his host, "I shall tell you, King Pellam of 
Listineise hath made do cry, in all this country, a 
great feast that shall be within these twenty days, 
and no knight may come there but if he bring his 
wife with him; and that knight, your enemy and 
mine, ye shall see that day." "Then I behote you," 
said Balin, "part of his blood to heal your son withal." 
"We will be forward to-morrow," said his host. 

So, on the morn, they rode all three toward Pel- 
lam, and had fifteen days' journey ere they came 
thither ; and that same day began the great feast, and 
they alighted and stabled their horses, and went into 
the castle. But Balin 's host might not be let in, be- 
cause he had no lady. Then Balin was well received, 
and brought unto a chamber, and unarmed him ; and 
there were brought him robes to his pleasure, and 
would have had Balin leave his sword behind him. 
"Nay," said Balin, "that do I not; for it is the cus- 
tom of my country a knight always to keep his wea- 
pon with him, and that custom will I keep, or else I 
will depart as I came." Then they gave him leave to 
wear his sword. And so he went unto the castle, and 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 75 

was set among knights of worship, and his lady afore 
him. Soon Balin asked a knight, "Is there not a 
knight in this court whose name is Gar Ion? " "Yon- 
der he goeth," said the knight, "he with the black 
face. He is the marvailest knight that is now living, 
for he destroy eth many good knights, for he goeth 
invisible." "Ah! well," said Balin, "is that he?" 
Then Balin advised him long, " If I slay him here I 
shall not escape, and if I leave him now, peradventure 
I shall never meet with him again at such a steven, 
and much harm he will do, and he live." 

Therewith this Garlon espied that this Balin beheld 
him, and then he came and smote Balin on the face 
with the back of his hand, and said, "Knight, why 
beholdest thou me so? For shame! Therefore eat 
thy meat, and do that thou came for." "Thou sayest 
sooth," said Balin; "this is not the first despite that 
thou hast done me ; and, therefore, I will do that I 
came for; " and rose up fiercely, and cleaved his 
head to the shoulders. "Give me the truncheon," 
said Balin to his lady, "wherewith he slew your 
knight." Anon she gave it him, for alway she bare 
the truncheon with her. And therewith Balin smote 
him through the body, and said openly, " With that 
truncheon thou hast slain a good knight, and now it 
sticketh in thy body . " And then Balin called unto him 
his host, saying, "Now may ye fetch blood enough to 
heal your son withal." 

XV. Anon all the knights rose up from the table 
for to set on Balin ; and King Pellam himself arose 
up fiercely, and said, "Knight, hast thou slain my 
brother? Thou shalt die, therefore, ere thou depart." 
"Well," said Balin, "do it yourself." "Yes," said 
King Pellam, "there shall no man have ado with thee 



76 KING ARTHUR 

but myself, for the love of my brother." Then King 
Pellam caught in his hand a grim weapon, and smote 
eagerly at Balin ; but Balin put his sword betwixt his 
head and the stroke, and therewith his sword burst in 
sunder. And when Balin was weaponless, he ran into 
a chamber for to seek some weapon, and so from cham- 
ber to chamber, and no weapon could he find; and 
always King Pellam after him, and at the last he en- 
tered into a chamber that was marvellously well dight 
and richly, and a bed arrayed with cloth of gold, the 
richest that might be thought, and one lying therein, 
and thereby stood a table of clean gold, with four pil- 
lars of silver that bare up the table, and upon the 
table stood a marvellous spear, strangely wrought. 
And when Balin saw that spear, he got it in his hand, 
and turned him to King Pellam, and smote him pass- 
ingly sore with that spear, that King Pellam fell 
down in a swoon; and therewith the castle roof and 
walls brake and fell to the earth, and Balin fell down, 
so that he might not stir foot nor hand; and so the 
most part of the castle that was fallen down, through 
that dolorous stroke, lay upon King Pellam and Balin 
three days. 

XVI. Then Merlin came thither and took up Balin, 
and got him a good horse, for his was dead, and bade 
him ride out of that country. I would have my dam- 
sel," said Balin. "Lo," said Merlin, "where she 
lieth dead." And King Pellam lay so many years 
sore wounded, and might never be whole till Gala- 
had, the Haute Prince, healed him in the quest of the 
Saint Grail; for in that place was part of the blood 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Joseph of Arimathea 
brought into this land, and there himself lay in that 
rich bed. And that was the same spear that Longius 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 11 

smote our Lord to the heart; and King Pellam was 
nigh of Joseph's kin, and that was the most worship- 
ful man that lived in those days; and great pity it 
was of his hurt, for through that stroke turned to great 
dole, tray, and tene. Then departed Balin from Mer- 
lin, and said, "In this world we meet never no more." 
So he rode forth through the fair countries and 
cities, and found the people dead, slain on every side. 
And ' all that were alive cried, " O Balin ! thou hast 
caused great damage in these countries ; for [through] 
the dolorous stroke thou gavest unto King Pellam 
three countries are destroyed. And doubt not but the 
vengeance will fall on thee at the last." When Ba- 
lin was past those countries, he was passing fain. 

So he rode eight days ere he met with adventure, 
and at the last he came into a fair forest, in a valley, 
and was ware of a tower, and there beside he saw a 
great horse of war tied to a tree, and there beside sat 
a fair knight on the ground, and made great mourn- 
ing, and he was a likely man, and a well made. Balin 
said, "God save you, why be ye so heavy? Tell me, 
and I will amend it, and I may, to my power." "Sir 
knight," said he, "again thou doest me great grief; 
for I was in merry thoughts, and now thou puttest 
me to more pain." Balin went a little from him, and 
looked on his horse. Then Balin heard him say thus, 
" Ah ! fair lady, why have ye broken my promise, for 
thou promisest me to meet me here by noon, and I 
ma}' curse thee that ever ye gave me this sword ; for 
with this sword I slay myself," and pulled it out, and 
therewith Balin started unto him, and took him by 
the hand. "Let go my hand," said the knight, "or 
else I shall slay thee." "That shall not need," said 
Balin, "for I shall promise you my help to get you 
L.ofC. 



78 KING ARTHUR 

your lady, and you will tell me where she is." " What 
is your name? " said the knight. "My name is Balin 
le Saveage." "Ah! sir, 1 know you well enough; 
you are the Knight with the Two Swords, and the 
man of most prowess of your hands living." "What 
is your name?" said Balin. "My name is Garnish 
of the Mount, a poor man's son, but, by my prowess 
and hardiness, a duke hath made me knight, and gave 
me lands. His name is Duke Hermel, and his daugh- 
ter is she that I love, and she me, as I deemed." 
"How far is she hence?" said Balin. "But six 
miles," said the knight. "Now ride we hence," said 
these two knights. So they rode more than a pace 
till that they came to a fair castle, well walled and 
ditched. "I will into the castle," said Balin, "and 
look if she be there." So he went in, and searched 
from chamber to chamber, and found her bed, but 
she was not there. Then Balin looked into a fair little 
garden, and, under a laurel-tree, he saw her with the 
foulest knight that ever he saw, and she a fair lady. 
Then Balin went through all the chambers again, and 
told the knight how he found her, and so brought him 
to the place. 

XVII. And when Garnish beheld her, for pure 
sorrow his mouth and nose burst out on bleeding, and 
with his sword he smote off both their heads; and 
then he made sorrow out of measure, and said, "Oh! 
Balin, much sorrow hast thou brought unto me; for 
hadst thou not showed me that sight, I should have 
passed my sorrow." "Forsooth," said Balin, "I did 
it to this intent, that it should better thy courage, and 
that ye might see and know her falsehood, and to 
cause you to leave love of such a lady. God knoweth 
I did none other but as I would you did to me." 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 79 

"Alas!" said Garnish, "now is my sorrow double 
that I may not endure ; now have I slain that I most 
loved in all my life." And therewith suddenly he 
rove himself on his own sword unto the hilts. 

When Balin saw that, he dressed him thenceward, 
lest folk would say he had slain them ; and so he rode 
forth, and within three days he came by a cross, and 
thereon were letters of gold written, that said, "It 
is not> for no knight alone to ride toward this castle." 
Then saw he an old hoary gentleman coming toward 
him, that said, " Balin le Saveage, thou passeth thy 
bands to come this way; therefore turn again, and 
it will avail thee." And he vanished away anon, and 
so he heard a horn blow, as it had been the death of a 
beast. "That blast," said Balin, "is blown for me; 
for I am the prize, and yet am I not dead." Anon 
withal he saw an hundred ladies and many knights 
that welcomed him with fair semblance, and made 
him passing good cheer unto his sight, and led him 
into the castle, and there was dancing and minstrelsy, 
and all manner of joy. Then the chief lady of the 
castle said, "Knight with the Two Swords, ye must 
have ado and joust with a knight hereby that keepeth 
an island; for there may no man pass this way, but he 
must joust, ere he pass." "That is an unhappy cus- 
tom," said Balin, "that a knight may not pass this 
way, but if he joust." "Ye shall have ado but with 
one knight," said the lady. "Well," said Balin, 
"since I shall thereto, I am ready; but travelling 
men are oft weary, and their horses too. But though 
my horse be weary, my heart is not weary ; I would 
be fain, there my death should be." "Sir," said a 
knight to Balin, "me thinketh your shield is not 
good; I will lend you a bigger thereof, I pray you." 



80 KING ARTHUR 

And so he took the shield that was unknown, and 
left his own, and so rode unto the island, and put him 
and his horse in a great boat. And when he came 
on the other side he met with a damsel, and she said, 
"O knight Balin, why have you left your own shield; 
alas! ye have put yourself in great danger: for by 
your shield you should have been known. It is great 
pity of you as ever was of knight, for of thy prow- 
ess and hardiness thou hast no fellow living." "Me 
repenteth," said Balin, "that ever I came within this 
country, but I may not turn now again for shame. 
And what adventure shall fall to me, be it life or death, 
I will take the adventure that shall come to me." 
And then he looked on his armour, and understood 
he was well armed, and therewith blessed him, and 
mounted upon his horse. 

XVIII. Then afore him he saw come riding out of 
a castle, a knight, and his horse trapped all red, and 
himself in the same colour. When this knight in the 
red beheld Balin, him thought it should be his brother 
Balin, because of his two swords; but because he 
knew not his shield, he deemed it was not he. And 
so they aventred their spears, and came marvellously 
fast together, and they smote other in the shields ; but 
their spears and their course were so big that it bare 
down horse and man, that they lay both in a swoon; 
but Balin was bruised sore with the fall of his horse, 
for he was weary of travel. And Balan was the first 
that rose on foot, and drew his sword, and went to- 
ward Balin, and he arose and went against him, but 
Balan smote Balin first, and he put up his shield, and 
smote him through the shield, and tamed his helm; 
then Balin smote him again with that unhappy sword, 
and well nigh had felled his brother Balan ; and so they 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 81 

fought there together till their breaths failed. Then 
Balin looked up to the castle, and saw the towers 
stand full of ladies. So they went unto battle again, 
and wounded each other dolefully; and then they 
breathed oft-times, and so went unto battle, that all 
the place thereas they fought was blood -red. And, 
at that time, there was none of them both but they had 
either smitten other seven great wounds; so that the 
least of them might have been the death of the might- 
iest giant in the world. 

Then they went to battle again so marvellously, that 
doubt it was to hear of that battle ; for the great blood- 
shedding, and their hauberks unnailed, that naked 
they were on every side. At last Balan, the younger 
brother, withdrew him a little, and laid him down. 
Then said Balin le Saveage, "What knight art thou, 
for ere now I found never no knight that matched me ? " 
"My name is," said he, "Balan, brother unto the 
good knight Balin." "Alas! " said Balin, "that ever 
I should see this day! " And therewith he fell back- 
ward in a swoon. 

Then Balan yede on all four feet and hands, and 
put off the helm of his brother, and might not know 
him by the visage, it was so full hewn and bled. But 
when he awoke, he said, "O Balan, my brother, thou 
hast slain me, and I thee, wherefore all the wide 
world shall speak of us both." "Alas ! " said Balan, 
"that ever I saw this day, that through mishap I 
might not know you; for I espied well your two 
swords, but because ye had another shield, I deemed 
ye had been another knight." "Alas!" said Balin, 
"all that made an unhappy knight in the castle, for 
he caused me to leave mine own shield to our both's 
destruction ; and if I might live I would destroy that 



82 KING ARTHUR 

castle for ill customs." "That were well clone," said 
Balan, "for I had never grace to depart from them, 
since that I came hither, for here it happed me to slay 
a knight that kept this island, and since might I never 
depart, and no more should ye, brother, and ye might 
have slain me, as ye have, and escaped yourself with 
the life." 

Right so came the lady of the tower with four knights 
and six ladies, and six yeomen unto them, and there 
she heard how they made their mourn either to other, 
and said, "We came both out of one tomb, that is to 
say of one mother, and so shall we lie both in one pit." 
So Balan prayed the lady of her gentleness, for his 
true service, that she would bury them both in that 
place there the battle was done. And she granted 
them, with weeping, it should be done richly, in the 
best manner. "Now will ye send for a priest, that 
we may receive our sacrament and receive the blessed 
body of our Lord Jesu Christ." "Yea," said the 
lady, "it shall be done." And so she sent for a 
priest, and gave them their rites. "Now," said Ba- 
lin, "when we are buried in one tomb, and the men- 
tion made over us how two brethren slew each other, 
there will never good knight, nor good man, see our 
tomb, but they will pray for our souls." And so all 
the ladies and gentlewomen wept for pity. 

Then anon Balan died, but Balin died not till the 
midnight after, and so were they buried both; and 
the lady let make a mention of Balan, how he was 
there slain by his brother's hands, but she knew not 
Balin' s name. 

XIX. In the morn came Merlin, and let write 
Balin 's name on the tomb with letters of gold, that 
"Here lieth Balin le Saveage, that was the Knight with 



THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN 83 

the Two Swords, and he that smote the dolorous 
stroke." Also Merlin let make there a bed, that 
there should never man lie therein but he went out of 
his wit ; yet Launcelot de Lake fordid that bed through 
his noblesse. And anon, after Balin was dead, Mer- 
lin took his sword, and took off the pommel, and set 
on another pommel. So Merlin bade a knight that 
stood afore him to handle that sword, and he assayed, 
and ,he might not handle it. Then Merlin laughed. 
"Why laugh ye?" said the knight. "This is the 
cause," said Merlin; "there shall never man handle 
this sword but the best knight of the world, and that 
shall be Sir Launcelot, or else Galahad, his son ; and 
Launcelot, with this sword, shall slay the man that in 
this world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawaine." 
All this he let write in the pommel of the sword. Then 
Merlin let make a bridge of iron and of steel into that 
island, and it was but half-a-foot broad: and there 
shall never man pass that bridge, nor have hardiness 
to go over, but if he were a passing good man, and a 
good knight, without treachery or villany. Also, the 
scabbard of Balin 's sword, Merlin left it on this side 
of the island, that Galahad should find it. Also 
Merlin let make, by his subtlety, that Balin 's sword 
was put in a marble stone, standing upright, as great 
as a millstone, and the stone hoved always above the 
water, and did many years : and so, by adventure, it 
swam down the stream to the city of Camelot, that is 
in English, Winchester. And that same day Gala- 
had, the Haute Prince, came with King Arthur; and 
so Galahad brought with him the scabbard, and 
achieved the sword that was there in the marble stone, 
hoving upon the water; and, on Whitsunday, he 
achieved the sword, as it is rehearsed in the book of 
the Saint Grail. 



84 KING ARTHUR 

Soon after this was done Merlin came to King Ar- 
thur, and told him of the dolorous stroke that Balin 
gave to King Pellam, and how Balin and Balan fought 
together the marvellous battle that ever was heard of, 
and how they were buried both in one tomb. "Alas," 
said King Arthur, "this is the greatest pity that ever 
I heard tell of two knights, for in the world I know 
not such two knights." 

Thus endeth the tale of Balin and Balan, two breth- 
ren, born in Northumberland, good knights. 



GLOSSARY 



Abode, withstood. 
Accorded, reconciled. 
Ado, trouble, conflict. 
Affiance, pledge, trust. 
A/lhaltoivmass, All Saints. 
An, and, if. 
Aretted, accounted. 
Assay, try. 

Assotted, deeply enamored. 
Assured, emboldened. 
Astonied, astonished, dazed. 
Avail, advantage. 
Avant-guard, vanguard. 
Aventred, fixed for attack. 
Avoid, depart, retreat. 
Awroke, avenged. 

Bands, frontiers, bounds. 
Battle, battalion, host. 
Beholding, beholden, indebted. 
Behote, promise. 
Betake, commit, entrust. 
Bled, bloodied. 
Boistous, rough. 
Bow-draught, bow-shot. 

Cantle, corner, piece. 
Cerles, certainly. 
Champaign, field. 
Charge, weighty command. 
Clean of life, free from sin. 

Damage, loss, harm, injury. 

Danger, power, dominion. 

Defiled, trodden down. 

Depart, dispart, divide. 

Despite, shameful injury, anger, ill-will. 

Do, have (done or made). 

Dole, grief. 

Dress, address, direct. 

Dwell, tarry. 

Either else or, or else. 



Enbushed, hid in the wood. 
Enbushment, ambush. 
Enprised, undertaken. 
Ensamples, examples. 
Eure, custom, usage. 

Faitor, deceiver, impostor. 

Force, urgency, matter ; take no force, 

care not. 
Fordid, destroyed. 
Forfoughten, fought out. 
Forthinketh, repenteth, rueth. 
Forward, ready or prompt. 
Found, discovered, proved. 

Garnished, supplied. 
German, akin. 
Gramercy, many thanks. 

Hauberk, a coat of mail. 
Haute Prince, High Prince. 
Heart, courage. 
Hight, called, was called. 
Hostry, hostelry, inn. 
Hove, remain. 



Jesseraunt, a short coat of mail. 
Joust, a tilt between two knights. 
Tourney. 



See 



Laton, brass, bronze. 

Let (make or do), cause (to have made 

or done). 
Lewd, untaught, ignorant. 
Livelihood, property. 

Marches, borders. 
Marvailest, most marvellous. 
Mastery, impossibility. 
Maugre, despite, except. 
Means, agencies, aid. 
Meddle, medley, fight, 
Mysler, craft, trade, need. 



8G 



KING ARTHUR 



Noblesse, nobility of soul. 
Nourished, by nurture. 

Ordain, prepare, arrange. 
Orgulous, proud. 

Pace, gait, walk. 

Party, part, side. 

Pavilion, tent. 

Paynim, heathen. 

Press, in, in the press, or crowd pressing 

forward. 
Pretendeth, belongeth. 
Purfle, edging, trimming. 
Purfled, edged, trimmed. 
Purvey, provide. 

Pandon, force, violence. 
Razed, scraped, tore off. 
Rove, cleaved, spitted. 
Rowe, by, in turn. 

Samite, a rich silk, often interwoven 

with gold or silver. 
Scathe, harm, injury. 
Seem, appear, appear probable. 
Skim, scour, spy out. 
Sooth, true, truth. 
Stalled, installed. 
Steven, (fit) time. 
Stint, portion, income. 
Sirene, race. 



Stuff, lay in stores. 
Sweven, dream. 

Tamed, crushed. 
latches, qualities. 
Tene, harm, pain. 
To/ore, before. 
To-morn, to-morrow. 
To-riven, broken to pieces. 
To-shivered, shivered to pieces. 
Tourney, a tilt between several knights 

on a side. See Joust. 
Trappere, trapping. 
Tray, affliction. 
Truage, tribute. 
Truncheon, cudgel, broken portion of a 

spear-shaft. 
Turned to, resulted. 

Unnethe, scarcely. 

Visage, sight, presence. 
Void, depart, retreat. 

Wallop, gallop. 

Ween, think, hope, trust. 

Will well, will gladly. 

Wit, blame. 

Wonderly, wondrously. 

Wood, woodness, mad, madness. 

Yede, went. 



Ne U t* d ;* 9 n ^^^P!,r process. 

PreservationTechnoloaip.! 



Cfje ftttoer^ifce literature J>erte£-c™//«^ 

74. Grays Elegy, etc. ; Cowper's John Gilpin, etc. 

75. Scudder's George Washington. § 

76. Wordsworth's On the Intimations of Immortality, and Other Poems 

77. Burns's Cotters Saturday Night, and Other Poems * 

78. Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield.§ 

79. Lamb's Old China, and Other Essays of Elia. 

80. Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, etc. ; Campbell's Lochiel'i 

Warning, etc.* 

81. Holmes's Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table. §§ 

82. Hawthorne's Twice- Told Tales.§§§ 

83. George Eliot's Silas Marner.§ 

84. Dana's Two Years Before the Mast.§§§ 

85. Hughes ; s Tom Brown's School Days.§§ 

86. Scott's Ivanhoe.§§§ 

87. Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. §§§ 

88. Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.§§§ 

89. Swift's Gulliver's Voyage to Lilliput.** 

90. Swift's Gulliver's Voyage to Brobdingnag.** 

91. Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables. §§§ 

92. Burroughs's A Bunch of Herbs, and Other Papers. 

93 . Shakespeare's As You Like It.* ** 

94. Milton's Paradise Lost. Books I. -I II.** 
95,96,97,98. Cooper's Last of the Mohicans. In four parts. 

( The four parts also bound hi one volume, linen, bo cents!) 

99. Tennyson's Coming of Arthur, and Other Idylls of the King. 

100. Burke's Conciliation with the Colonies. Robert Andersen, A. M.* 

101. Homer's Iliad. Books I., VI., XXII., and XXIV. Pope* 

102. Macaulay's Essays on Johnson and Goldsmith* 

103. Macaulay's Essay on Milton.*** 

104. Macaulay's Life and Writings of Addison.*** 

Nos. 102, 103, and 104 are edited by William P. Trent. 

105. Carlyle's Essay on Burns. George R. Noyes.* 

106. Shakespeare's Macbeth. Richard Grant White, and Helen Gray 

Cone.* ** 

107. 108. Grimms' German Household Tales. In two parts. + 
109. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. W. V. Moody. § 

no. De Quincey's Flight of a Tartar Tribe. Milton Haight Turk.* 
hi. Tennyson's Princess. Rolfe. {Double Number, 30 cents. Also, in 
Rolfe' s Students' Series, cloth, to Teachers, 53 cents.") 

112. Virgil's iEneid. Books I. -1 1 1. Translated by Cranch. 

113. Poems from the Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. George- H. 

Browne.** 

114. Old Greek Folk Stories. Josephine Preston Peabody.* 

115. Browning's Pied Piper of Hamelin, and Other Poems. 

116. Shakespeare's Hamlet. Richard Grant White and Helen Gray Conb.§ 

117. 118. Stories from the Arabian Nights. In two parts.t 

119. Poe's Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, etc.** 

120. Poe's Gold-Bug, The Purloined Letter, and Other Tales.** 

Nos. nq, 120, are edited bv William P. Trent. 

121. The Great Debate: Hayn'e's Speech.** 

122. The Great Debate : Webster's Reply to Hayne.** 

Nos. 121, 122, are edited by Lindsay Swift. 

123. Lowell's Democracy, and "Other Papers.** 

124. Aldrich's Baby Bell, The Little Violinist, etc. 

125. Dryden's Palamon and Arcite. Arthur Gilman.* 

126. Ruskin's King of the Golden River : Wonder Stories, by Others.* 

127. Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn, The Eve of St. Agnes, etc 

128. Byron's Prisoner of Chillon, and Other Poems. 

129. Plato's The Judgment of Socrates : being The Apology, Crito, and 

the Closing Scene of Phaado. Translated by Pall E. More. 

130. Emerson's The Superlative, and Other Essays. 

131. Emerson's Nature, and Compensation. Edited by Edward W. Emerson. 

132. Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum. etc. Louise Imogen Guiney.* 

133. Carl Schurz's Abraham Lincoln.** 

134. Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel. Rolfe. (Double Number, 30 cents. 

Also in Rolf e' s Students' Series, cloth, to Teachers, 53 cents.) 
«35> 136. Chaucer's Prologue, The Knight's Tale, and The Nun's Priest's 
Tale. [135] Introduction, and The Prologue. [136] The Knight's Tal* 
and The Nun's Priest's Tale. Frank J. Mather, Jr.** 
Fjr explanatio?i signs see end of list.. 



€f)c Jfliber^itie '^literature &znt$- continued 

137. Homer's Iliad. Books I., VI., XXII., and XXIV. Translated by Bryant. 

138. Hawthorne's The Custom House, and Main Street. 

139. Howells's Doorstep Acquaintance, and Other Sketches. 

140. Thackeray's Henry Esmond. {Quintuple No.) Pa., 60 cts.; linen, 75 cts. 

141. Three Outdoor Papers, by T. W. Higginson. 

142. Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies : 1. Of Kings' Treasuries; 2. Of Queens' 

Gardens.* 

143. Plutarch's Life of Alexander the Great. North's Translation. 

144. Scudder's Book of Legends.* 

145. Hawthorne's Gentle Boy, and Other Tales. 

146. Longfellow's Giles Corey of the Salem Farms. 

147. Pope's Rape of the Lock, and Other Poems. Henry W. Boynton. 

148. Hawthorne's Marble Faun. Annie Russell Marble. §§§ 

149. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. R. G. White and Helen Gray Cone* 

150. Ouida's A Dog of Flanders, and The Niirnberg Stove.* 

151. Mrs. Ewing's Jackanapes, and The Brownies.* H. W. Boynton. 
152., Martineau's Peasant and Prince. § h', W. Boynton. 

153. Shakespeare's Midsummer- Night's Dream. Laura E. Lockwood. 

154. Shakespeare's Tempest. R. G. White and E. E. Hale, Jr. 

155. Irving's Life of Goldsmith. Willis Boughton.§§ 

156. Tennyson's Gareth and Lynette, Lancelot and Elaine, The Passing of 

Arthur. 

Other Niimbers in Preparation. 

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